Wyjjff.: 
;' 


x-; 


FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 


BY 

REV.  E.  P.  ROE, 

h 

AUTHOR  OF  "BARRIERS  BURNED  AWAY,"  "WHAT  CAN  SHE  Do?"  "OPENING 
-    A  CHESTNUT  BURR,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK : 
DODD  &  MEAD,  PUBLISHERS, 

751  BROADWAY. 


Copyright,  1875,  by  Dodd  &  Mead, 


PS  2-7:2. 7 

P-7 


DEDICATION. 


THIS  book  is  dedicated  in  fraternal  affection  to  the 
friend  of  my  youth  and  maturer  years — the  REV.  A.  Moss 
MERWIN,  who,  with  every  avenue  of  earthly  ambition  open 
to  him  at  home,  and  with  every  motive  urged  upon  him 
to  remain  at  home,  has  been  for  years,  and  is  now,  a  faith 
ful  missionary  in  a  foreign  larfd. 


PREFACE. 


A  CHRISTIAN  EDITOR,  of  a  religious  journal,  stated,  in 
effect,  to  his  readers,  some  months  since,  that  Rev.  E.  P. 
Roe  had  abandoned  the  ministry  and  was  writing  another  novel. 
Then  followed,  I  understand,  moral  reflections  which  reflected  quite 
severely  on  the  author  of  this  book.  I  did  not  see  the  original  ar 
ticle,  but  only  the  substance  of  it,  as  stated  in  The  Independent,  the 
editor  of  which  journal  I  thank  sincerely  for  his  quasi  defence  of  me 
and  my  motives.  The  Christian  editor,  no  doubt,  felt  that  he  was 
in  the  way  of  duty  in  making  the  statement,  and,  therefore,  I  shall 
let  it  pass,  suggesting  only  that  in  the  spirit  of  fairness  he  might,  at 
least,  have  said  that  Mr.  Roe  in  his  "  novels  "  was  not  emulating 
Eugene  Sue  and  others  of  that  ilk. 

It  is  not  agreeable-  to  be  misrepresented,  even  though  it  be  done 
with  the  best  of  motives,  and  it  would  seeni  but  common  justice 
that,  when  a  public  charge  is  made,  as  public  a  hearing  in  self-de 
fence  should  be  given. 

And  yet,  I  would  not  intrude  this  matter  upon  the  public  at  all, 
if  only  personal  considerations  were  involved.  As  it  is,  I  have  not 
replied  through  the  press.  I  have  not  plucked  the  general  public 
by  the  sleeve  that  it  might  listen,  but  I  address  those  who,  from 
reading  my  books,  may  be  willing  to  give  a  thought  to  the  writer 
and  his  views. 

If  any  have  been  led  to  think  that  I  undervalue  the  calling  of  the 
ministry,  the  following  pages  will  correct  that  error.  God  himself, 
in  embodied  personality,  was  once  upon  earth,  and  He  was  a 
preacher  of  righteousness.  That  fact,  and  not  the  opinion  of  one 
or  of  a  generation  of  men,  gives  to  the  calling  of  the  ministry  its 
proper  rank. 


5  PREFACE. 

But  what  is  this  calling  of  the  ministry?  To  whom  has  been 
given  the  right  to  restrict  and  narrow  it  down  to  the  formal  taking  of  a 
text,  and  preaching  to  a  certain  congregation  once  a  week?  Christ 
ministered  to  diseased,  suffering  bodies,  and  every  humane  physi 
cian  in  the  sick-room  or  hospital  is  God's  minister.  Christ  cheered 
unhappy  hearts  and  relieved  burdened  lives,  and  every  genial 
Christian,  though  but  a  child,  who  abounds  in  words  of  kind 
ness  and  deeds  of  charity  is  God's  angelos — "  Good  angel,  to  the 
Churches." 

Nay  more.  Christ,  with  his  creative  hands,  broke  bread  for  the 
famishing  thousands,  and  his  disciples  carried  it  to  them.  There 
fore  we  maintain  that  the  stout  yeomanry  who  are  uniting  with  God 
to  cover  our  broad  land  with  golden  grain  and  nourishing  fruits  may 
be,  if  they  will,  His  ministers,  as  truly  as  the  disciples  who  took  the 
food  from  His  hand  and  carried  it  at  His  bidding  to  those  who  sat 
on  the  mountain  slope  in  Galilee.  Standing  before  men  and  plead 
ing  directly  with  them  for  their  souls  is  the  loftiest  phase  of  this 
ministry.  But  it  is  not  the  ministry — all  of  it.  It  is  the  Master's 
will  that  all  should  be  at  work  in  the  vineyard,  but  not  all  doing 
the  same  work. 

Did  it  ever  occur  to  the  Christian  editor  that,  perhaps,  the  Master 
knows  what  kind  of  work  each  one  can  do  best,  and  that,  if  we  will 
only  follow  His  leading,  we  will  at  last  find  our  own  little  niche 
and  the  work  we  can  best  perform  ?  It  appears  to  me  that  it  would  be 
very  presumptuous  and  unmannerly  to  insist  on  doing  a  certain  kind 
of  work,  when  a  different,  and,  perhaps,  a  much  humbler  service 
was  marked  out  for  me.  We  were  taught  better  than  that  during 
the  war.  A  soldier  then  stood  where  he  was  placed,  and  did  what 
he  was  bidden. 

"  It  is  supposed  the  profession  of  the  ministry  stands  somewhat 
higher  than  that  of  literature,  and  that  the  world  needs  preachers 
of  the  Gospel  more  than  novel  writers."  Not  fora  moment  do  I 
dispute  the  abstract  truth  of  these  words.  But,  when  the  Christian 
editor  proceeds  to  infer  that.  I,  in  my  individual  action,  have  de 
serted  my  post  of  duty  ;  and,  when  another  Christian  minister,  in 


PREFACE.  j 

another  religious  journal,  asks  all  who  are  engaged  in  what  he  calls 
"  an  unholy  calling,"  "  Has  God,  by  precept  or  example,  given  you 
anything  in  His  Book  which  justifies  the  religious  novel  ?  Do  you 
know  that  your  course  is  peculiarly  offensive  and  grievous  to  nearly 
all  your  brethren  ?  Is  it  too  much  for  your  brethren  to  ask  that  you 
should  at  once  abandon  the  Gospel  ministry,  or  abandon  novel 
writing  ?  "  I  take  issue  decidedly,  and  feel  that  justice  requires  that 
a  word  should  be  spoken  on  the  other  side.  I  will  refer  but  briefly 
to  my  own  action  and  motives. 

Of  the  literary  character  of  these  "  novels  "  I  have  nothing  to 
say.  That  is  not  the  question  here,  and  no  one  is  more  sensible  of 
their  defects  than  myself.  But  I  know  their  aim  and  the  kind  of 
principles  arid  truth  they  contain,  however  rudely  and  unskilfully 
presented.  I  am  willing  to  leave  it  to  the  judgment  of  the  most 
prejudiced  reader  whether  Christian  faith  and  action  are  not  the 
lessons  inculcated  from  first  to  last. 

I  made  my  last  book  somewhat  of  a  test,  for  I  had  the  most  in 
terest  in  knowing  what  was  duty  and  my  proper  work.  I  said,  I 
will  write  a  book  as  quiet  and  simple  as  a  book  can  be — a  book  that 
a  child  can  read.  I  made  most  of  my  scenes  cluster  around  a  country- 
fireside,  a  type  of  thousands  in  our  land.  The  few  exciting  chap 
ters  were  founded  on  fact,  and  some  of  the  characters  partially 
drawn  from  life.  The  Evening  Post  called  my  heroine  "  colorless." 
Whether  that  be  true  or  not,  she  was  but  a  simple  country  maiden, 
trying  daily,  like  thousands  of  others,  to  be  a  good  girl  and  to  ful 
fil  her  quiet  home  duties.  The  interest  of  the  book  centred  chiefly 
in  the  redemption  of  a  ^/for/ man  of  the  world,  no  better  and  no 
worse  than  hundreds  who  go  down  Broadway  to  their  business  every 
morning.  As  the  means  of  this  happy  change  I  presented  no  fashion 
able  humanitarian  ism  or  theory,  but  an  intelligent  faith  in  Christ — 
the  Divine  Man — who,  only  by  His  Spirit  can  impart  true  manhood 
and  womanhood  to  His  creatures.  The  critical  press  satisfied  me 
that  I  had  carried  out  my  purpose,  for,  whatever  fault  was  found  with 
the  book,  that  it  was  free  from  all  sensationalism  was  the  general 
verdict.  Therefore,  I  said,  if  many  will  read  such  books,  I  can  do 


3  PREFACE. 

far  more  good  by  my  pen  than  voice,  and,  in  no  little  doubt  and 
misgiving,  I  waited  to  see.  Twelve  thousand  copies  were  sold  in 
three  months  ;  had  I  not  received  my  orders  ? 

With  all  diffidence  and  humility, -I  would  like  to  suggest  to  the 
Christian  Editor  and  others,  the  following  consideratipns  :  Is  there 
no  lesson  in  the  fact,  that  so  much  of  Christ's  teaching  was  in  the 
form  of  parables — stories  ?  When  He  said,  "  A  certain  man  had 
two  sons,"  was  He  making  an  accurate  statement  of  what  had  hap 
pened  somewhere  in  Palestine  ?  When  He  told  about  the  dishonest 
steward  and  unjust  judge,  was  He  relating,  with  judicial  fairness, 
bits  of  scandal  that  had  come  under  His  observation,  or  was  He 
drawing  natural,  but  imaginary  pictures,  that  He  knew  would  best 
mirror  forth  the  truth  He  wished  to  impress  ?  When  He  told  that 
strange  dramatic  story  of  the  Ten  Virgins,  five  of  whom  were  left  in 
the  darkness  of  the  long,  chilly  night,  but  within  sound  of  mirth  and 
feasting,  was  He  relating  what  the  gossips  of  Judea  had  chronicled 
but  a  little  before  ? 

I  appeal  to  every  fair-minded  reader,  does  the  Christian  story  of 
to  day  differ  from  Christ's  stories  more  widely  than  the  modern  ser 
mon,  with  its  divisions  and  sub-divisions — its  introduction  and  pero 
ration — its  philosophy  and  flights  of  rhetoric,  from  one  of  Christ's 
sermons  as  he  taught  the  people  on  the  shore  of  the  sea?  Even  in 
respect  to  form,  do  we  not  find  as  much  warrant  in  the  instruction  of 
the  model  Teacher  for  the  one  as  for  the  other?  Let  us  judge  fairly, 
and  not  througli  the  distorted  medium  of  prejudice. 

Now  it  is  an  undeniable  fact,  that  the  youth  of  the  reading  world, 
and,  to  a  very  large  extent,  those  of  maturer  years,  are  devouring  fic 
tion.  Many  good  people  regret  this,  but  they  do  nothing  appreciable 
to  prevent  it.  I  doubt  whether  they  can  :  and,  from  many  facts,  I  have 
been  led  to  believe  that  the  worst  class  of  stories  are  read  by  stealth 
in  those  families  where  all  fiction  is  forbidden.  Too  deeply  im 
bedded  in  our  nature  to  be  eradicated,  is  the  craving  for  truth  and 
thought  in  narrative  form.  Enunciate  most  logically  and  clearly 
the  grandest  principle,  and  but  a  few  keen  intellects  will  follow  you. 
Embody  that  principle  in  human  action,  in  the  natural  but  imagi- 


PREFACE.  g 

nary  experience  of  creatures  like  ourselves,  and  you  have  little  chil 
dren  and  those  with  child-like  minds  drinking  in  your  words.  An 
incident  related  in  the  dullest  sermon  opens  drowsy  eyes  and  lights 
up  stolid  faces.  Ask  popular  preachers  how  much  they  owe  to  their 
capital,  well-told  stories,  which  contain  the  elements  of  human  expe 
rience?  Ask  the  librarian  of  Sabbath-schools  and  public  libraries 
what  class  of  books  are  chiefly  taken  out,  and  the  answer  will  be 
"  fiction."  Will  the  Christian  Editor  put  his  foot  firmly  down  and 
declare,  "From  henceforth  this  shall  not  be?"  If  he  cannot — if 
millions  in  the  impressible  period  of  youth,  in  spite  of  all  that  he 
or  any  can  do,  will  read  fiction,  then  it  would  appear  a  sacred 
duty  in  those  who  love  their  kind,  to  make  this  food  of  the  forming 
character  healthful,  bracing,  and  ennobling  in  its  nature.  Earnest 
men  and  women,  who  hold  and  would  transmit  the  truth,  must  speak 
in  a  way  that  will  secure  a  hearing. 

It  is  charged,  and  with  great  truth,  against  much  of  this  form  of 
teaching,  especially  that  which  finds  its  way  into  Sabbath-school 
libraries,  that  it  is  "  weak  and  unnatural."  But  are  not  multitudes 
of  sermons  weak  and  unnatural  ;  and  have  we  not  all  been  taught 
that  God,  to  humble  our  pride,  often  takes  these  weak  things  of  ours 
to  accomplish  His  will,  where  our  finished,  strong  efforts  have  failed 
utterly  ?  This  is  no  plea  for  weakness  and  unnaturalness,  but  only 
an  assurance  that  good  aims  and  honest  effort  are  seldom  in  vain, 
and  are  not  to  be  hastily  judged. 

"  He  followeth  not  with  us,"  said  the  disciples. 
"  Forbid  him  not,"  said  the  Master. 

I  do  not  think  I  have  "abandoned  the  ministry."  This  new  and 
simple  story  which  I  now  send  forth,  is  my  sermon  as  truly  as  if  I 
stood  up  and  preached  it ;  and  if  the  audience  will  take  home  its 
teaching,  I  am  content  to  be  neither  seen  nor  thought  of. 

At  the  same  time,  I  feel  it  a  privilege  to  speak  by  voice  a  well  as 
pen,  whenever  opportunity  offers,  and  in  fact,  I  have  preached  to 
more  people  since  resigning  my  pastorate  than  during  the  same  time 
before. 

What  shall  be  the  fate  and  influence  of  this  volume  the  future 
1* 


I0  PREFACE. 

alone  can  disclose.  From  the  critics  I  expect  criticism ;  hut  in 
many  homes  I  hope  to  be  received  as  we  welcome  old  friends — glad 
to  see  them  with  all  their  faults. 

It  is  a  source  of  satisfaction  that  this  book  will  go  across  the  sea 
somewhat  as  a  voluntary  visitor,  and  not  as  a  "  pirated  "  captive,  that 
has  been  snatched  hastily,  as  stolen  goods  are  ever  taken.  I  hope  the 
day  will  speedily  come  when  the  moral  sense  of  the  people  in  both 
England  and  America,  will  no  more  permit  authors  to  be  robbed 
of  these  children  of  their  brain,  than  they  will  allow  emissaries  to 
pass  back  and  forth  to  kidnap  our  sons  and  daughters.  High-toned 
publishers  should  not  think  of  issuing  a  book  until  they  have  made 
terms  directly  with  the  author.  It  is  his  property.  The  clearest 
moral  principle  is  involved  ;  and  what  has  defective  law  and  dis 
honest  custom  to  do  with  the  matter?  In  some  lands  law  and  cus 
tom  permit  the  helpless  to  be  roasted  and  eaten,  but  is  it  right  ? 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  PRACTICAL  JOKE 13 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  VICTIM  29 

CHAPTER  III. 
PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED 41 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  LITTLE  PAGAN 54 

CHAPTER  V. 
PLAIN  TALK 72 

CHAPTER  VI. 
A  SLEIGH-RIDE  AND  SOMETHING  MORE 85 

CHAPTER  VII. 
ANOTHER  SPELL  THAN  BEAUTY'S 105 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
FINDING  ONE'S  LEVEL 120 

CHAPTER  IX. 

"  THE  OTHER  SET" 131 

CHAPTER  X. 
HUMAN  NATURE 14? 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  POSSIBLE  TRAGEDY 160 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Miss  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE  QUESTIONS 173 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  LOVER  QUENCHED 187 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
LOTTIE  A  MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM 198 

CHAPTER  XV. 
HEMSTEAD  SEES  "  OUR  SET  " 210 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
How  WOMAN  MAKES  OR  MARS 224 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
MIDNIGHT  VIGILS • 236 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
HEMSTEAD'S  HEAVY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL 252 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIX.  PAGE 

THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN 267 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  DAWNING  LIGHT 296 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

MISUNDERSTOOD 303 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  You  MUST  WAIT  AND  SEE  " 318 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A  RATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL 333 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  TERROR  OF  A  GREAT  FEAR 345 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  TRUE  KNIGHT 352 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ON  A  CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE. 363 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  MEETING  AND  GREETING 376 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  TRAIL  OF  LOVE 391 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

HEMSTEAD'S  ADVICE,  AND  LOTTIE'S  COLORS 41 3 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

AROUND  THE  YULE  LOG 422 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

UNDER  THE  MISTLETOE 449 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  CHRISTMAS  SUNDAY 457 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE  END  OF  THE  "  JEST  " 464 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

LOYAL 477 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

MR.   DlMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO   "  MEDDLE  " 489 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW 506 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
IN  EARNEST. 533 


FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER   L     • 

A  PRACTICAL  JOKE. 

ON  a  cloudy  December  morning,  a  gentleman, 
two  ladies,  and  a  boy,  stepped  down  from  the 
express  train  at  a  station  just  above  the  Highlands 
on  the  Hudson.  A  double  sleigh,  overflowing  with 
luxurious  robes,  stood  near,  and  a  portly  coachman 
with  difficulty  restrained  his  spirited  horses  while 
the  little  party  arranged  themselves  for  a  winter 
ride.  Both  the  ladies  were  young,  and  the  gentle 
man's  anxious  and  almost  tender  solicitude  for  one 
of  them  seemed  hardly  warranted  by  her  blooming 
cheeks  and  sprightly  movements.  A  close  observer 
might  soon  suspect  that  his  assiduous  attentions 
were  caused  by  a  malady  of  his  own  rather  than 
indisposition  on  her  part. 

The  other  young  lady  received  but  scant  polite 
ness,  though  seemingly  in  greater  need  of  it.  But 
the  words  of  Scripture  applied  to  her  beautiful  com 
panion,  "  Whosoever  hath,  to  him  shall  be  given, 
and  he  shall  have  more  abundance."  She  had  been 


14  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

surfeited  all  her  life  with  attention,  and  though  she 
would  certainly  have  felt  its  absence,  as  she  would 
the  loss  of  wealth,  life-long  familiarity  with  both  led 
her  to  place  no  special  value  upon  them. 

Therefore,  during  the  half-hour's  ride  her  spirits 
rose  with  the  rapid  motion,  and  even  the  leaden  sky 
,'incl  winter's  bleajkness  could  not  prevent  the  shift 
ing  landscape  from  i>eing  a  source  of  pleasure  to  her 
c:ty  eyes,  while  the.'devotion  of  her  admirer  or  lover 
was  received  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  frosty  air  brought  color  into  her  compan 
ion's  usually  pale  face,  but  not  of  an  attractive  kind, 
for  the  north-east  wind  that  deepened  the  vermilion 
in  the  beauty's  cheek  could  only  tinge  that  of  the 
other  with  a  ghastly  blue.  The  delicate  creature 
shivered  and  sighed. 

"  I  wish  we  were  there." 

"  Really,  Bel,  I  sometimes  think  your  veins  are 
filled  with  water  instead  of  blood.  It's  not  cold  to 
day,  is  it,  Mr.  De  Forrest  ?  " 

u  Well,  all  I  can  say  with  certainty,"  he  replied, 
"  is  that  I  have  been  in  a  glow  for  the  last  two  hours. 
I  thought  it  was  chilly  before  that." 

"  You  are  near  to  '  glory '  then,"  cried  the  boy, 
saucily,  from  his  perch  on  the  driver's  box. 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  said  Mr.  De  Forrest  in  a  low 
tone,  and  leaning  toward  the  maiden. 

"  You  are  both  nearer  being  silly,"  she  replied 
pettishly.  "  Dan,  behave  yourself,  and  speak  when 
you  are  spoken  to." 

The  boy  announced  his  independence  of  sisterly 


A   PRACTICAL   JOKE.  15 

control  by  beginning  to  whistle,  and  the  young  lady 
addressed  as  "  Bel  "  remarked  : 

"  Mr.  De  Forrest  is  no  judge  of  the  weather 
under  the  circumstances.  He  doubtless  regards  the 
day  as  bright  and  serene.  But  he  was  evidently  a 
correct  judge  up  to  the  time  he  joined  you,  Lottie." 

"  He  joined  you  as  much  as  he  did  me." 

"  Oh,  pardon  me ;  yes,  I  believe  I  was  present." 

4<  I  hope  I  have  failed  in  no  act  of  politeness, 
Miss  Bel,"  said  De  Forrest,  a  little  stiffly. 

"  I  have  no  complaints  to  make.  Indeed  I  have 
fared  well,  considering  that  one  is  sometimes  worse 
than  a  crowd." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Lottie  petulantly ;  and  the 
young  man  tried  not  to  appear  annoyed. 

The  sleigh  now  dashed  in  between  rustic  gate 
posts  composed  of  rough  pillars  of  granite,  and  pro 
ceeding  along  an  avenue  that  sometimes  skirted  a 
wooded  ravine,  and  again  wound  through  pictur 
esque  groupings  of  evergreens,  they  soon  reached  a 
mansion  of  considerable  size,  which  bore  evidence 
of  greater  age  than  is  usual  with  the  homes  in  our 
new  world. 

They  had  hardly  crossed  the  threshold  into  the 
hall  before  they  were  hospitably  received  and  wel 
comed  by  a  widow  lady,  whose  hair  was  slightly 
tinged  with  gray,  and  by  her  eldest  daughter. 

The  greetings  were  so  cordial  as  to  indicate  ties 
of  blood,  and  the  guests  were  shown  to  their  rooms, 
and  told  to  prepare  for  an  early  dinner. 

In  brief,  Mrs.  Marchmont   the    mistress   of  the 


l6  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

mansion,  had  gratified  her  daughter's  wish  (as  she 
did  all  her  fancies),  by  permitting  her  to  invite  a 
number  of  young  friends  to  spend  with  them  the 
Christmas  holidays.  Both  mother  and  daughter 
were  fond  of  society,  and  it  required  no  hospitable 
effort  to  welcome  visitors  at  a  season  when  a  major 
ity  of  their  friends  had  fled  from  the  dreariness  of 
winter  to  city  homes.  Indeed,  they  regarded  it  as 
almost  an  honor  that  so  prominent  a  belle  as  Char 
lotte  Marsden  had  consented  to  spend  a  few  weeks 
with  them  at  a  time  when  country  life  is  at  a  large 
discount  with  the  fashionable.  They  surmised  that 
the  presence  of  Mr.  De  Forrest,  a  distant  relative  of 
both  Miss  Marsden  and  themselves,  would  be  agreea 
ble  to  all  concerned,  and  were  not  mistaken  ;  and  to 
Miss  Lottie  the  presence  of  a  few  admirers — she 
would  not  entertain  the  idea  that  they  were  lovers 
— had  become  an  ordinary  necessity  of  life.  Mr.  De 
Forrest  was  an  unusually  interesting  specimen  of  the 
genus — handsome,  an  adept  in  the  mode  and  eti 
quette  of  the  hour,  attentive  as  her  own  shadow, 
and  quite  as  subservient. 

His  method  of  making  love  and  his  toilet  would 
equal  each  other  in  elegance.  All  would  be  deli 
cately  suggested  by  touch  of  hand  or  glance  of  eye, 
and  yet  he  would  keep  pace  with  the  wild  and  way 
ward  beauty  in  as  desperate  a  flirtation  as  she  would 
permit. 

Miss  Lottie  had  left  her  city  home  with  no  self- 
sacrificing  purpose  to  become  a  martyr  for  the  sake 
of  country  relatives.  She  had  wearied  of  the  familiar 


A   PRACTICAL   JOKE.  I/ 

round  of  metropolitan  gayety;  but  life  on  the  Hud 
son  during  midwinter  was  an  entire  novelty.  There 
fore,  as  her  little  brother  had  been  included  in  the 
invitation,  they  started  on  what  was  emphatically  a 
frolic  to  both. 

Bel  Parton,  her  companion,  was  another  city 
cousin  of  the  Marchmonts,  with  whom  they  were  in 
the  habit  of  exchanging  visits.  She  was  also  an 
intimate  of  Lottie's,  the  two  being  drawn  together 
by  the  mysterious  affinity  of  opposites. 

She  was  indeed  a  very  different  girl  from  Lottie 
Marsden,  and  many  would  regard  her  as  a  better 
one.  Her  face  and  character  are  only  too  familiar  to 
close  observers  of  socie.ty.  She  was  the  beginning 
of  several  desirable  things,  but  the  pattern  was  in  no 
instance  finished,  and  always  raveling  out  on  one 
side  or  the  other.  She  had  the  features  of  a  pretty 
girl,  but  ill-health  and  the  absence  of  a  pleasing 
expression  spoiled  them.  She  had  a  fine  education, 
but  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  it ;  considerable 
talent,  but  no  energy  ;  too  much  conscience,  as  she 
had  not  the  resolution  to  obey  it.  Her  life  was 
passed  mainly  in  easy-chairs,  chronic  dyspepsia,  and 
feeble  protest  against  herself  and  all  the  world. 

Lottie  often  half-provoked  but  never  roused  her 
by  saying,  "  Bel,  you  are  the  most  negative  creature 
I  ever  knew.  Why  don't  you  do  something  or  be 
something  out  and  out?  Well,  ''tis  an  ill  wind 
that  blows  nobody  any  good.'  You  make  an  excel 
lent  foil  for  me." 
•  And  gloriously  rich  and  tropical  did  Lottie 


1 8  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

appear  against  the  colorless  background  of  her 
friend.  Bel  felt  that  she  suffered  by  the  comparison 
so  frankly  indicated,  but  was  too  indolent  and  irreso 
lute  to  change  for  the  better  or  avoid  companionship 
with  one  whose  positive  and  full-blooded  nature 
seemed  to  supplement  her  own  meagre  life. 

When  all  appeared  in  the  dining-room  the  shades 
and  contrasts  in  character  became  more  evident. 
At  the  head  of  the  table  sat  a  gentleman  as  yet  not 
introduced,  Mr.  Dimmerly  by  name,  a  bachelor 
brother  of  Mrs.  Marchmon-t  who  resided  with  her. 
He  was  a  quaint-appearing  little  man,  who  in  a 
greater  degree  than  his  age  required,  seemed  to 
belong  to  a  former  generation.  His  manners  were 
too  stately  for  his  stature,  and  embarrassed  his  elab 
orate  efforts  at  politeness  as  too  ample  garments 
might  his  movements. 

Both  he  and  his  sister  were  representatives  of  one 
of  the  "'old  families"  of  the  State,  and,  like  their 
mansion,  reminded  one  of  the  past.  Indeed  they 
seemed  to  cherish,  as  a  matter  of  pride  and  choice, 
their  savor  of  antiquity,  instinctively  recognizing 
that  their  claims  upon  society  were  inherited  rather 
than  earned. 

Old  families  do  not  always  appear  to  accumulate 
the  elements  of  greatness  until  there  is  an  increas 
ing  and  almost  irresistible  impetus  of  force  and 
genius.  Successive  generations  are  not  necessarily 
born  to  a  richer  dower  of  mind  and  morals.  Too 
often  it  would  seem  that  the  great  qualities  that  in 
the  first  place  launched  a  family  on  a  brilliant  career 


A  PRACTICAL   JOKE.  19 

expend  themselves,  until  the  latest  scion,  like  a  spent 
arrow,  drops  into  insignificance. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  was  regarded  by  society  as  an 
elegant  woman,  and  she  was,  in  all  externals.  The 
controlling  principle  of  her  life  was  precedent. 
What  had  been  customary,  and  still  obtained  among 
the  "  good  old  families,"  had  a  flavor  of  divine  right 
in  it. 

Alas  for  the  Marchmont  family,  for  the  young 
lady  of  the  house  seemed  inclined  to  maintain  and 
perpetuate  nothing  save  her  own  will,  and  had  no 
special  development  in  any  respect,  save  a  passion  for 
her  own  way.  Still  she  was  one  of  those  girls  whom 
society  calls  a  "pretty  little  thing,"  and  was  predes 
tined  to  marry  some  large,  good-natured  man  who 
would  imagine  that  she  would  make  a  nice  little  pet, 
a  household  fairy,  but  who  might  often  learn  to 
his  dismay  that  the  fairy  could  be  a  tormenting  elf. 
She  would  not  marry  the  young  gentleman  with 
whom  her  name  was  at  present  associated  by  the 
gossips,  and  who  had  driven  over  that  morning  to 
help  her  entertain  the  expected  guests.  Mr.  Har- 
court  and  Miss  Marchmont  understood  each  other. 
He  was  a  distant  relative  of  her  mother's,  and  so 
under  the  disguise  of  kinship  could  be  very  familiar. 
The  tie  between  them  was  composed  of  one  part  of 
friendship  and  two  parts  of  flirtation.  He  had 
recently  begun  the  practice  of  law  in  a  neighboring 
town,  and  found  the  Marchmont  residence  a  very 
agreeable  place  at  which  to  spend  his  leisure.  It 
was  Miss  Marchmont's  purpose  that  he  should  form 


20  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

one  of  the  gay  party  that  would  make  the  holiday 
season  a  prolonged  frolic.  He,  nothing  loath, 
accepted  the  invitation,  and  appeared  in  time  for 
dinner.  To  many  he  seemed  to  possess  a  dual 
nature.  He  had  a  quick,  keen  intellect,  and,  during 
business  hours,  gave  an  absorbed  attention  to  his  pro 
fession.  At  other  times  he  was  equally  well  known 
as  a  sporting  man,  with  tendencies  somewhat  fast. 

Mrs.  Marchmont's  well-appointed  dining-room 
was  peculiarly  attractive  that  wintry  day.  Finished 
off  in  some  dark  wood  on  which  the  ruddy  hickory 
fire  glistened  warmly,  it  made  a  pleasing  contrast  to 
the  cold  whiteness  of  the  snow  without.  A  portly 
colored  waiter  in  dress  coat  seemed  the  appropri 
ate  presiding  genius  of  the  place,  and  in  his  ebon 
hands  the  polished  silver  and  crystal  were  doubly 
luminous. 

And  yet  the  family,  with  its  lack  of  original  force, 
its  fading  traditions  of  past  greatness,  would  make 
rather  a  dim  and  neutral  tint,  against  which  such  a 
girl  as  Charlotte  Marsden  would  appear  as  the  living 
and  glowing  embodiment  of  the  vivid  and  intense 
spirit  of  the  present  age.  Her  naturally  energetic 
and  mercurial  nature  had  been  cradled  among,  and 
rocked  by,  the  excitements  of  the  gayest  and  gid 
diest  city  on  the  continent.  A  phlegmatic  uncle  had 
remarked  to  her,  in  view  of  inherited  and  developed 
characteristics  : 

"  Lottie,  what  in  ordinary  girls  is  a  soul,  in  you  is 
a  flame  of  fire." 

As  she  sat  at  the  table,  doing  ample  justice  to  the 


A    PRACTICAL    JOKE.  21 

substantial  viands,  she  did  appear  as  warm  and  glow 
ing  as  the  coals  of  hard-wood,  which  had  ripened  in 
the  sunshine,  upon  the  hearth  opposite. 

The  bon-vivant%  Julian  De  Forrest,  found  time 
for  many  admiring  glances,  of  which  Lottie  was  as 
agreeably  conscious  as  of  the  other  comforts  and 
luxuries  of  the  hour.  But  they  were  all  very  much 
upon  the  same  level  in  her  estimation. 

But  De  Forrest  would  ask  no  better  destiny  than 
to  bask  in  the  light  and  witchery  of  so  glorious  a 
creature.  Little  did  he  understand  himself  or  her, 
or  the  life  before  him.  It  would  have  been  a  woful 
match  for  both.  In  a  certain  sense  he  would  be  like 
the  ambitious  mouse  that  espoused  the  lioness. 
The  polished  and  selfish  idler,  with  a  career  devoted 
to  elegant  nothings,  would  fret  and  chafe  such  a 
nature  as  hers  into  almost  frenzy,  had  she  no  escape 
from  him. 

There  would  be  fewer  unhappy  marriages  if  the 
young,  instead  of  following  impulses  and  passing 
fancies,  would  ask,  How  will  our  lives  accord  when 
our  present  tendencies  and  temperaments  are  fully 
developed  ?  It  would  need  no  prophetic  eye  to 
foresee  in  many  cases,  not  supplemental  and  helpful 
differences,  but  only  hopeless  discord.  Yet  it  is 
hard  for  a  romantic  youth  to  realize  that  the  smiling 
maiden  before  him,  with  a  cheek  of  peach-bloom  and 
eyes  full  of  mirth  and  tenderness,  can  become  stub 
born  or  shrewish  as  Xantippe  herself.  And  many  a 
woman  becomes  stubborn  and  acid,  rather  than  sweet, 
by  allowing  herself  to  be  persuaded  into  marrying  the 


22  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

wrong  man,  and  then  by  not  having  the  good  sense 
to  make  the  best  of  it. 

Alas !  experience  also  proves  that,  of  all  prosaic, 
selfish  grumblers,  your  over-gallant  lover  makes  the 
worst.  And  yet,  while  the  world  stands,  multitudes 
will  no  doubt  eagerly  seek  the  privilege  of  becoming 
mutual  tormentors. 

Lottie  thought  Mr.  De  Forrest  "  very  nice." 
She  liked  him  better  than  any  one  she  had  met  and 
flirted  with  since  her  school-days,  during  which  period 
of  sincerity  and  immaturity  she  had  several  acute 
attacks  of  what  she  imagined  to  be  the  "  grand  pas 
sion."  But  as  the  objects  were  as  absurd  as  her 
emotions,  and  the  malady  soon  ran  its  course,  she 
began  to  regard  the  whole  subject  as  a  jest,  and  think, 
with  her  fashionable  mother,  that  the  heart  was  the 
last  organ  to  be  consulted  in  the  choice  of  a  husband, 
as  it  was  almost  sure  to  lead  to  folly.  While  her 
heart  slept,  it  was  easy  to  agree  with  her  mother's 
philosophy.  But  it  would  be  a  sad  thing  for  Char 
lotte  Marsden  if  her  heart  should  become  awakened 
when  her  will  or  duty  were  at  variance  with  its  crav 
ings.  She  might  act  rightly,  she  might  suffer  in 
patience,,  but  it  would  require  ten  times  the  effort 
that  the  majority  of  her  sex  would  have  to  make. 

Her  mother  thought  that  the  elegant  and  wealthy 
Mr.  De  Forrest  was  the  very  one  of  all  the  city  for 
her  beautiful  daughter,  and  Lottie  gave  a  careless 
assent,  for  certainly  he  was  "very  nice."  He  would 
answer  as  well  as  any  one  she  had  ever  seen,  for  the 
inevitable  adjunct  of  her  life.  He  had  always  united 


A   PRACTICAL   JOKE.  2$ 

agreeably  the  characters  of  cousin,  playmate,  and 
lover,  and  why  might  he  not  add  that  of  husband  ? 
But  for  the  latter  relation  she  was  in  no  haste.  Time 
enough  for  that  in  the  indefinite  future.  She  loved 
the  liberty  and  year-long  frolic  of  her  maiden  life, 
though  in  truth  she  had  no  idea  of  settling  down  on 
becoming  a  matron.  In  the  meantime,  while  she 
laughed  at  De  Forrest's  love-making  she  did  not 
discourage  it,  and  the  young  man  felt  that  his  clear 
understanding  with  the  mother  was  almost  equal  to 
an  engagement  to  the  daughter.  He  welcomed  this 
country  visit  with  peculiar  satisfaction,  feeling  that  it 
would  bring  matters  to  a  crisis.  He  was  not  to  be 
mistaken. 

By  the  time  they  were  sipping  their  coffee  after 
dessert,  the  promise  of  the  leaden  sky  of  the  morning 
was  fulfilled  in  a  snow-storm,  not  consisting  of 
feathery  flakes  that  fluttered  down  as  if  undecided 
where  to  alight,  but  of  sharp,  fine  crystals  that 
slanted  steadily  from  the  north-east.  The  afternoon 
sleigh-ride  must  be  given  up,  and  even  the  children 
looked  ruefully  and  hopelessly  out,  and  then  made 
the  best  of  in-door  amusements. 

Miss  Marchmont  gathered  her  guests  around  the 
parlor  fire,  and  fancy  work  and  city  gossip  were  in 
order.  The  quiet  flow  and  ripple  of  small-talk  was 
suddenly  interrupted  by  her  petulant  exclamation : 

"  Oh !  I  forgot  to  tell  you  a  bit  of  unpleasant 
news.  Mother,  without  consulting  me,  has  invited  a 
poor  and  poky  cousin  of  ours  to  spend  the  holidays 
with  us  also.  He  is  from  the  West,  green  as  a 


24  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

gooseberry,  and,  what's  far  worse,  he's  studying  for 
the  ministry,  and  no  doubt  will  want  to  preach  at  us 
all  the  time.  I  don't  know  when  I've  been  more 
provoked,  but  mother  said  it  was  too  late,  she  had 
invited  him,  and  he  was  coming.  I  fear  he  will  be  a 
dreadful  restraint,  a  sort  of  wet  blanket  on  all  our  fun, 
for  one  must  be  polite,  you  know,  in  one's  own  house." 

"  I  am  under  no  special  obligation  to  be  polite," 
laughed  Lottie.  "  Mark  my  words.  I  will  shock 
your  pious  and  proper  cousin  till  he  is  ready  to  write 
a  book  on  total  depravity.  It  will  be  good  sport  till 
lam  tired  of  it." 

"  No,  Lottie,  you  shall  not  give  such  a  false  im 
pression  of  yourself,  even  in  a  joke,"  said  Bel.  "  I 
will  tell  him,  if  he  can't  see,  that  you  are  not  a  sin 
ner  above  all  in  Galilee." 

"  No,  my  manner-of-fact  cousin,  you  shall  not  tell 
him  anything.  Why  should  I  care  what  he  thinks  ? 
Already  in  fancy  I  see  his  face  elongate,  and  his  eyes 
dilate  in  holy  horror  at  my  wickedness.  If  there  is 
one  thing  I  love  to  do  more  than  another,  it  is  to 
shock  your  eminently  good  and  proper  people." 

"  Why,  Miss  Lottie,"  chuckled  De  Forrest,  "  to 
hear  you  talk  one  would  think  you  were  past  pray 
ing  for." 

"  No,  not  till  I  am  married." 

"  In  that  sense  I  am  always  at  my  devotions." 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  read  the  fable  of  the 
Frogs  and  King  Stork." 

"  Thank  you.  I  had  never  dared  to  hope  that 
you  regarded  me  as  good  enough  to  eat.*' 


A    PRACTICAL   JOKE.  2$ 

"  No,  only  to  peck  at." 

"  But  listen  to  Miss  Addie's  proposal.  If  I  mis 
take  not.,  there  is  no  end  of  fun  in  it,"  said  Mr. 
Harcourt. 

"  I've  thought  of  something  better  than  shocking 
him.  These  Western  men  are  not  easily  shocked. 
They  see  all  kinds  out  there.  What  I  suggest  would 
be  a  better  joke  and  give  us  all  a  chance  to  enjoy  the 
sport.  Suppose,  Lottie,  you  assume  to  be  the  good 
and  pious  one  of  our  party,  and  in  this  character 
form  his  acquaintance.  He  will  soon  be  talking 
religion  to  you,  and,  like  enough,  making  love  and 
wanting  you  to  go  with  him  as  a  missionary  to  the 
Cannibal  Islands." 

"If  you  go,  Oh,  that  I  were  king  of  them?" 
broke  in  De  Forrest. 

"  You  mean  you  would  have  Lottie  for  dinner,  I 
suppose,"  continued  Miss  Marchmont.  "  She  would 
be  served  up  properly  as  a  tart." 

"  No,"  he  retorted,  "  as  sauce  piquant e.  She 
could  make  a  long  life  a  highly  seasoned  feast." 

"You  evidently  are  an  Epicurean  philosopher; 
all  your  thoughts  seem  to  run  on  eating,"  said  Lot 
tie,  sharply. 

"  But  what  say  you  to  my  suggestion  ?  "  asked 
Addie  Marchmont.  "  I  think  it  would  be  one  of 
the  best  practical  jokes  I  ever  knew.  The  very 
thought  of  such  an  incorrigible  witch  as  you  palm 
ing  yourself  off  as  a  demure  Puritan  maiden,  is  the 
very  climax  of  comical  absurdity." 

Even  Lottie  joined  heartily  in  the  general  laugh 


26  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

at  her  expense,  and  the  preposterous  imposition  she 
was  asked  to  attempt,  but  said  dubiously : 

"  I  fear  I  could  not  act  successfully  the  role  of 
Puritan  maiden,  when  I  have  always  been  in  reality 
just  the  opposite.  'And  yet  it  would  be  grand  sport 
to  make  the  attempt,  and  a  decided  novelty.  But 
surely  your  cousin  cannot  be  so  verdant  but  that  he 
would  soon  see  through  our  mischief  and  detect  the 
fraud." 

"  Well,"  replied  Addie,  "  Frank,  as  I  remember 
him,  is  a  singularly  unsuspicious  mortal.  Even  as  a 
boy  his  head  was  always  in  the  clouds.  He  has  not 
seen  much  society  save  that  of  his  mother  and  an 
old-maid  sister.  Moreover,  he  is  so  dreadfully  pious, 
and  life  with  him  is  such  a  solemn  thing,  that  unless 
we  are  very  bungling  he  will  not  even  imagine  such 
frivolity,  as  he  would  call  it,  until  the  truth  is 
forced  upon  him.  Then  there  will  be  a  scene.  You 
will  shock  him  then,  Lottie,  to  your  heart's  content. 
He  will  probably  tell  you  that  he  is  dumbfounded, 
and  that  he  would  not  believe  that  a  young  woman 
in  this  Christian  land  could  trifle  with  such  solemn 
realities — that  is,  himself  and  his  feelings." 

"  But  I  don't  think  it  would  be  quite  right,"  pro 
tested  Bel,  feebly. 

Mr.  Harcourt  lifted  his  eyebrows. 

"  Nonsense !  Suppose  it  is  not,"  said  Lottie, 
impatiently. 

"  But,  Addie,"  persisted  Bel,  "  he  will  be  your 
guest." 


A    PRACTICAL   JOKE.  2/ 

"  No  he*  won't.  He's  mother  guest,  and  I  feel 
like  punishing  them  both." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Lottie,  lightly  ;  "  if  you  have 
no  scruples,  I  have  none.  It  will  be  capital  sport, 
and  will  do  him  good.  It  would  be  an  excellent 
thing  for  his  whole  theological  seminary,  if  they 
could  have  a  thorough  shaking  up  by  the  wicked 
world,  which  to  him,  in  this  matter,  I  shall  represent. 
They  would  then  know  what  they  were  preaching 
about.  What  do  you  say,  Julian  ?  " 

"  When  did  I  ever  disagree  with  you?"  he  replied 
gallantly.  "  But  in  this  case  I  really  think  we  owe 
Miss  Addie  a  vote  of  thanks  for  having  hit  upon  a 
joke  that  may  enliven  the  greater  part  of  our  visit. 
This  embryo  parson  seems  a  sort  of  a  scriptural 
character — and  why  should  he  not  blindly,  like  Sam 
son,  make  sport  for  us  all  ?  " 

"  I  fear  you  do  not  understand  your  own  script 
ural  allusion,"  sneered  Bel.  "  Like  Samson,  he  may 
also  pull  everything  down  about  our  ears  in  a  most 
uncomfortable  manner." 

"  I  hope  you  won't  spoil  everything  by  telling 
him  or  mother/'  said  Addie,  petulantly. 

"  Oh,  no !  Since  you  are  determined  upon  it,  I 
will  look  on  and  see  the  fun,  if  there  is  any.  But, 
bah  !  He  will  find  you  all  out  in  a  day.  As  for 
Lottie  palming  herself  off  as  agoodish  young  woman 
to  whom  any  sane  man  would  talk  religion — the  very 
thought  is  preposterous  !  " 

"  Don't  be  too  confident,  Miss  Bel,"  said  Lottie, 
put  upon  her  mettle.  "  If  you  all  will  only  sustain 


28  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

me  and  not  awaken  his  suspicions  with  your  by-play 
and  giggling,  I  will  deceive  the  ingenuous  youth  in  a 
way  that  will  surprise  you  as  well  as  him.  Good 
acting  must  have  proper  support.  This  is  something 
new — out  of  the  rut,  and  I  am  bound  to  make  it  a 
brilliant  jest  that  we  can  laugh  over  all  our  lives. 
So  remember,  Julian,  you  will  disconcert  me  at  your 
peril." 

"  No  fears  of  me.  So  long  as  your  jest  remains  a 
jest,  I  will  be  the  last  one  to  spoil  the  sport." 

With  a  chime  of  laughter  that  echoed  to  the  attic 
of  the  old  mansion,  Lottie  exclaimed  : 

"  The  idea  that  I  could  ever  become  in  earnest !  " 

"  But  the  young  clergyman  may  become  dead  in 
earnest,"  said  Bel,  who  seemed  the  embodiment  of 
a  troublesome  but  weak  conscience.  "  You  know 
well,  Mr.  De  Forrest,  that  Lottie's  blandishments 
may  be  fatal  to  his  peace." 

"  That  is  his  affair,"  replied  the  confident  youth, 
with  a  careless  shrug. 

Having  arranged  the  details  of  the  plot  and  been 
emphatically  cautioned  by  Lottie,  they  awaited  their 
victim. 


THE    VICTIM.  29 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE  VICTIM. 

FRANK  HEMSTEAD  was  expected  on  the 
evening  train  from  the  north,  so  that  the  con 
spirators  would  not  have  long  to  wait.  To  pass  the 
brief  intervening  time  Lottie  went  to  the  piano  and 
gave  them  some  music  like  herself,  brilliant,  dashing, 
off-hand,  but  devoid  of  sentiment  and  feeling.  Then 
she  sprang  up  and  began  playing  the  maddest  pranks 
on  languid  Bel,  and  with  Addie  was  soon  engaged  m 
a  romp  with  De  Forrest  and  Harcourt,  that  would 
have  amazed  the  most  festive  Puritan  that  ever 
schooled  or  masked  a  frolicsome  nature  under  the 
sombre  deportment  required.  The  young  men 
took  their  cue  from  the  ladies,  and  elegance  and 
propriety  were  driven  away  in  shreds  before  the  gale 
of  their  wild  spirits.  Poor  Bel !  buffeted  and  help 
less,  half-enjoying,  half-frightened,  protested,  cried, 
and  laughed  at  the  tempest  around  her. 

"  I  mean,"  said  Lottie,  panting  after  a  desperate 
chase  among  the  furniture,  "  to  have  one  more  spree, 
like  the  topers  before  they  reform." 

Though  these  velvety  creatures,  with  their  habits 
of  grace  and  elegance  could  romp  without  roughness, 
and  glide  where  others  would  tear  around,  they  could 


30  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

not  keep  their  revel  so  quiet  but  that  hurrying  steps 
were  heard.  Bel  warned  them,  and  before  Mrs. 
Marchmont  could  enter,  Lottie  was  playing  a  waltz, 
and  the  others  appeared  as  if  they  had  been  dancing. 
The  lady  of  precedent  smiled,  whereas  if  she  had 
come  a  moment  earlier  she  would  have  been  horrified. 

But  the  glow  from  the  hearth,  uncertain  enough 
for  their  innocent  deeds  of  darkness,  had  now  to  fade 
before  the  chandelier,  and  Mrs.  Marchmont,  some 
what  surprised  at  the  rumpled  plumage  of  the  young 
ladies,  and  the  fact  that  Mr.  De  Forrest's  neck-tfe 
was  awry,  suggested  that  they  retire  and  prepare 
for  supper,  whereat  they  retreated  in  literal  disorder. 
But  without  the  door  their  old  frenzy  seized  them, 
and  they  nearly  ran  over  the  dilatory  Bel  upon  the 
stairs.  With  sallies  of  nonsense,  smothered  laughter, 
a  breezy  rustle  of  garments,  and  the  rush  of  swift 
motion,  they  seemed  to  die  away  in  the  upper  halls 
as  might  a  summer  gust.  To  Mrs.  Marchmont  they 
had'  vanished  like  a  suppressed  whirlwind. 

"  The  young  people  of  my  day  were  more  dec 
orous,"  soliloquized  the  lady  complacently.  "  But 
then  the  De  Forrests  have  French  blood  in  them, 
and  what  else  could  you  expect?  It's  he  that  sets 
them  off." 

The  approaching  sound  of  sleigh-bells  hastened 
the  young  people's  toilets,  and  when  they  descended 
the  stairs,  this  time  like  a  funeral  procession,  a 
tall  figure,  with  one  side  that  had  been  to  the  wind 
ward  well  sifted  over  with  snow,  was  just  entering 
the-  hall. 


THE    VICTIM.  31 

Mrs.  Marchmont  welcomed  him  with  as  much 
.warmth  as  she  ever  permitted  herself  to  show.  She 
was  a  good  and  kind  lady  at  heart,  only  she  insisted 
upon  covering  the  natural  bloom  and  beauty  of  her 
nature  with  the  artificial  enamel  of  mannerism  and 
conventionality.  During  the  unwrapping  process 
the  young  people  stood  in  the  back-ground,  but  Lot 
tie  watched  the  emergence  from  overcoat  and  muffler 
of  the  predestined  victim  of  her  wiles  with  more  than 
ordinary  curiosity. 

The  first  thing  that  impressed  her  was  his  unusual 
height,  and  the  next  a  certain  awkwardness  and 
angularity.  When  he  came  to  be  formally  presented*, 
his  diffidence  and  lack  of  ease  were  quite  marked. 
Bel  greeted  him  with  a  distant  inclination  of  her 
head,  De  Forrest  also  vouchsafed  merely  one  of  his 
slightest  bows,  while  Harcourt  stood  so  far  away 
that  he  was  scarcely  introduced  at  ail ;  but  Lottie 
went  demurely  forward  and  put  her  warm  hand  in 
his  great  cold  one,  and  said,  looking  up  shyly: 

"  I  think  we  are  sort  of  cousins,  are  we  not  ?  " 

He  blushed  to  the  roots  of  his  hair  and  stam 
mered  that  he  hoped  so. 

Indeed,  this  exquisite  vision  appearing  from  the 
shadows  of  the  hall,  and  claiming  kinship,  might 
have  disconcerted  a  polished  society  man  ;  and  the 
conspirators  retired  back  into  the  gloom  to  hide 
their  merriment. 

As  the  stranger,  in  his  bashful  confusion,  did  not 
seem  to  know  for  the  moment  what  to  do  with  her 
hand,  and  was  inclined  to  keep  it,  for  in  fact  it  was 


32  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

warming,  or  rather,  electrifying  him,  she  withdrew  it, 
exclaiming : 

"  How  cold  you  are  !  You  must  come  with  me 
to  the  fire  at  once." 

He  followed  her  with  a  rather  bewildered  expres 
sion,  but  his  large  gray  eyes  were  full  of  gratitude  for 
her  supposed  kindness  even  if  his  unready  tongue 
was  slow  in  making  graceful  acknowledgment. 

"  Supper  will  be  ready  in  a  few  moments,  Frank," 
said  his  aunt,  approaching  them  and  rather  wonder 
ing  at  Lottie's  friendliness.  "  Perhaps  you  had  bet 
ter  go  at  once  to  your  room  and  prepare.  You  will 
'find  it  warm,"  and  she  glanced  significantly  at  his 
rumpled  hair  and  general  appearance  of  disorder,  the 
natural  results  of  a  long  journey. 

He  started  abruptly,  blushed  as  if  conscious  of 
having  forgotten  something,  and  timidly  said  to 
Lottie : 

"  Will  you  excuse  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  sweetly,  "  for  a  little  while." 

He  again  blushed  deeply  and  for  a  second  indulged 
in  a  shy  glance  of  curiosity  at  the  "  cousin  "  who 
spoke  so  kindly.  Then,  as  if  guilty  of  an  impropriety, 
he  seized  a  huge  carpet-bag  as  if  it  were  a  lady's 
reticule.  But  remembering  that  her  eyes  upon  him. 
he  tried  to  cross  the  hall  and  mount  the  stairs  with 
dignity.  The  great  leathern  bag  did  not  conduce  to 
this,  and  he  succeeded  in  appearing  awkward  in  the 
extreme,  and  had  a  vague,  uncomfortable  impression 
that  such  was  the  case. 

Mrs.  Marchmont   having   disappeared   into   the 


THE    VICTIM.  33 

dining-room,  the  young  people  went  off  into  silent 
convulsions  of  laughter,  in  which  even  Bel  joined, 
though  she  said  she  knew  it  was  wron^. 

£>  o 

"  He  is  just  the  one  of  all  the  world  on  whom  to 
play  such  a  joke,"  said  Lottie,  pirouetting  into  the 
parlor. 

"  It  was  capital !  "  chimed  in  De  Forrest.  "  Lot 
tie,  you  would  make  a  star  actress." 

"  He  has  an  intelligent  eye,"  continued  she,  a 
little  more  thoughtfully.  "  He  may  be  able  to  see 
more  than  we  think.  I  insist  that  you  all  be  very 
careful.  Aunt  will  suspect  something,  if  he  doesn't, 
and  may  put  him  on  his  guard." 

Mr.  Hemstead  soon  appeared,  for  it  was  plain 
that  his  toilets  were  exceedingly  simple.  The  ele 
gance  wanting  in  his  manners  was  still  more  clearly 
absent  from  his  "dress.  The  material  was  good,  but 
had  evidently  been  put  together  by  a  country  tailor, 
who  limped  a  long  way  behind  the  latest  mode. 
What  was  worse,  his  garments  were  scarcely  ample 
enough  for  his  stalwart  form.  Altogether  he  made 
in  some  externals,  a  marked  contrast  to  the  city 
exquisite,  who  rather  enjoyed  standing  beside  him 
that  this  contrast  might  be  seen. 

To  Lottie  he  appeared  excessively  comical  as  he 
stalked  in  and  around,  trying  vainly  to  appear  at 
ease.  And  yet  the  thought  occurred  to  her,  "  If 
he  only  knew  what  to  do  with  his  colossal  propor 
tions — knew  how  to  manage  them — he  would  make 
an  imposing  looking  man."  And  when  De  Forrest 
posed  beside  him  just  before  they  went  out  to  tea, 


34  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

even  this  thought  flashed  across  her,  "  Julian  seems 
like  an  elegant  mannikin  beside  a  man."  If  De  For 
rest  had  only  known  it,  the  game  of  contrasts  was 
not  wholly  in  his  favor. 

But  poor  Mr.  Hemstead  came  to  grief  on  his  way 
to  the  supper  room.  Miss  Marchmont  tried  to  dis 
guise  her  diminutive  stature  by  a  long  trailing  dress. 
Upon  this  he  placed  his  by  no  means  delicate  foot, 
as  she  was  sweeping  out  with  Mr.  Harcourt.  There 
was  an  ominous  sound  of  parting  stitches,  and  an 
abrupt  period  in  the  young-  lady's  graceful  progress. 
In  his  eager  haste  to  remedy  his  awkwardness,  he 
bumped  up  against  Mr.  Dimmerly,  who  was  advan 
cing  to  speak  to  him,  with  a  force  that  nearly  over 
threw  that  dapper  gentleman,  and  rendered  his 
uncle's  greeting  rather  peculiar,  Hemstead  felt,  to 
his  intense  annoyance,  that  the  y^ung  people  were 
at  the  point  of  exploding  with  merriment  at  his  ex 
pense,  and  was  in  a  state  of  mingled  indignation  at 
himself  and  them.  His  aunt  and  Mr.  Dimmerly,  who 
soon  recovered  himself,  were  endeavoring  to  look 
serenely  unconscious,  but  with  partial  success.  All 
seemed  to  feel  as  if  they  were  over  a  mine  of  dis 
courteous  laughter.  The  unfortunate  object  looked 
nervously  around  for  the  beautiful  "  cousin,"  and 
noted  with  a  sigh  of  relief  that  she  had  disappeared. 

"  I  hope  she  did  not  see  my  meeting  with  uncle," 
he  thought.  "  I  was  always  a  gawk  in  society,  and 
to-night  seem  possessed  with  the  very  genius  of 
awkwardness.  She  is  the  only  one  who  has  shown 


THE    VICTIM.  35 

me  any  real  kindness,  and  I  don't  want  her  to  think 
of  me  only  as  a  blundering,  tongue-tied  fool." 

He  would  not  have  been  reassured  had  he  known 
that  Lottie,  having  seen  all,  had  darted  back  into 
the  parlor  and  was  leaning  against  the  piano,  a  quiv 
ering,  and  for  the  moment,  a  helpless  subject  of  sup 
pressed  mirth.  Mr.  Dimmerly  was  always  a  rather 
comical  object  to  her,  and  his  flying  arms  and  spec 
tacles  as  he  .tried  to  recover  himself  from  the  rude 
shock  of  his  nephew's  burly  form,  made  a  scene  in 
which  absurdity,  which  is  said  to  be  the  chief  cause 
of  laughter,  was  preeminent. 

But  the  paroxysm  passing,  she  followed  them 
and  took'a  seat  opposite  her  victim,  with  a  demure 
sweetness  and  repose  of  manner  that  was  well-nigh 
fatal  to  the  conspirators. 

As  Mr.  Hemstead  was  regarded  as  a  clergyman, 
though  not  quite  through  with  his  studies,  his  aunt 
looked  to  him  for  the  saying  of  grace.  It  was  a  try 
ing  ordeal  for  the  young  fellow  under  the  circum 
stances.  He  shot  a  quick  glance  at  Lottie,  which 
she  returned  with  a  look  of  serious  expectation,  then 
dropped  her  eyes  and  veiled  a  different  expression 
under  the  long  lashes.  But  he  was  sorely  embar 
rassed,  and  stammered  out  he  scarcely  knew  what. 
A  suppressed  titter  from  Addie  Marchmont  and  the 
young  men  was  the  only  response  he  heard,  and  it 
was  not  reassuring.  He  heartily  wished  himself 
back  in  Michigan,  but  was  comforted  by  seeing  Lot 
tie  looking  gravely  and  reproachfully  at  the  irrever 
ent  gigglers. 


36  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  She  is  a  good  Christian  girl,"  he  thought, 
"  and  while  the  others  ridicule  my  wretched  embar 
rassment,  she  sympathizes." 

Hemstead  was  himself,  as  open  as  the  day  and 
equally  unsuspicious  of  others.  He  believed  just 
what  he  saw,  and  saw  only  what  was  clearly  appar 
ent.  Therefore  Lottie,  by  tolerably  fair  acting, 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  deceiving  him,  and  she 
was  proving  herself  equal  to  very  skilful  feigning. 
Indeed  she  was  one  who  could  do  anything  fairly 
that  she  heartily  attempted. 

A  moment  after  "  grace  " — Harcourt  made  a  poor 
witticism,  at  which  the  majority  laughed  with  an 
immoderateness  quite  disproportionate.  Mrs.  March- 
mont  and  her  brother  joined  in  the  mirth,  though 
evidently  vexed  with  themselves  that  they  did. 
Even  Hemstead  saw  that  Harcourt's  remark  was  but 
the  transparent  excuse  for  the  inevitable  laugh  at 
his  expense.  Lottie  looked  around  with  an  expres 
sion  of  mingled  surprise  and  displeasure,  which 
nearly  convulsed  those  in  the  secret.  But  her  aunt 
and  uncle  felt  themselves  justly  rebuked,  while  won 
dering  greatly  at  Lottie's  unwonted  virtue.  But 
there  are  times  when  to  laugh  is  a  dreadful  necessity, 
whatever  be  the  consequences. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lottie,  gravely,  beginning, 
as  she  supposed,  with  the  safe  topic  of  the  weather, 
"  in  journeying  East  have  you  come  to  a  colder  or 
warmer  climate?" 

**  Decidedly  into  a  -colder  one,"  he  answered, 
significantly. 


THE    VICTIM.  37 

"  Indeed,  that  rather  surprises  me !  " 

"  Well,  I  believe  that  the  thermometer  has 
marked  lower  with  us,  but  it  has  been  said,  and 
justly  I  think,  that  we  do  not  feel  the  cold  at  the 
West  as  at  the  East." 

"  No  matter,"  she  said,  sweetly.  u  At  the  East, 
as  in  the  West,  the  cold  is  followed  by  thaws  and 
spring." 

He  looked  up  quickly  and  gratefully,  but  only 
remarked,  "  It's  a  change  we  all  welcome." 

"  Not  I,  for  one,"  said  Mr.  Harcourt.  "  Give  me 
a  clear,  steady  cold.  Thaws  and  spring  are  synony 
mous  with  the  sloppy  season  or  sentimental  stage." 

"  I,  too,  think  steady  cold  is  better  in  the  season 
of  it,"  remarked  Mr.  Dimmerly,  sententiously. 

"  But  how  about  it  out  of  season,  uncle?"  asked 
Lottie. 

"  Your  hint,  perhaps,  is  seasonable,  Lottie," 
quietly  remarked  her  aunt,  though  with  somewhat 
heightened  color.  "  I  trust  we  shall  keep  the  steady 
cold  out  of  doors,  and  that  all  our  guests  will  find 
only  summer  warmth  within." 

"  Really,  auntie,  you  put  me  in  quite  a  melting 
mood." 

"  No  need  of  that,  Lottie,  for  you  are  the  month 
of  June  all  the  year  round,"  said  her  aunt. 

"  The  month  of  April,  rather,"  suggested  Bel. 

"  I  should  say  July  or  August,"  added  Mr.  Dim 
merly,  laughing. 

"  Would  you  not  say  November  ?  "  asked  Lottie 
of  Mr.  Hemstead. 


38  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  he  replied,  with  a  blush,  "for 
Thanksgiving  comes  in  that  month." 

There  was  a  general  laugh,  and  Mr.  Dimmerly 
chuckled,  "Very  good,  you  are  getting  even,  Frank." 

"  I  hardly  understand  your  compliment,  if  it  is 
one,"  said  Lottie,  demurely.  "  Is  it  because  you  are 
so  fond  of  sermons  or  dinners  that  Thanksgiving 
glorifies  the  dreary  month  of  November  ?  " 

"  Neither  a  sermon  nor  a  dinner  is  always  a  just 
cause  for  Thanksgiving,"  he  replied,  with  a  pleasant 
light  in  his  gray  eyes. 

"  Then  where  is  the  force  of  your  allusion  ?  "  she 
said,  with  a  face  innocently  blank. 

"  Well,"  replied  he,  hesitatingly,  and  blushing 
deeply,  "  perhaps  my  thought  was  that  you  might  be 
an  occasion  for  Thanksgiving  if  both  sermon  and 
dinner  were  wanting." 

Again  there  was  a  general  laugh,  but  his  aunt 
said,  "  Frank,  Frank,  have  you  learned  to  flatter?" 

Lottie  shot  a  quick  look  of  pleased  surprise  at 
him,  and  was  much  amused  at  his  evident  confusion 
and  flaming  cheeks.  To  be  sure  his  words  were 
part  of  the  old  complimentary  tune  that  she  knew 
by  heart,  but  his  offering  was  like  a  flower  that  had 
upon  it  the  morning  dew.  She  recognized  his  grate 
ful  effort  to  repay  her  for  supposed  kindness,  and 
saw  that,  though  ill  at  ease  in  society,  he  was  not 
a  fool. 

"  Would  it  not  be  better  to  wait  till  in  possession 
before  keeping  a  Thanksgiving  ?  "  said  De  Forrest, 
satirically. 


THE    VICTIM.  39 

"  Not  necessarily,"  retorted  Hemstead  quickly, 
for  the  remark  was  like  the  light  touch  of  a  spur. 
"  I  was  grateful  for  the  opportunity  of  seeing  a  fine 
picture  at  Cleveland,  on  my  way  here,  that  I  never 
expect  to  own." 

Lottie  smiled.  The  victim  was  not  helpless. 
But  she  turned,  and  with  a  spice  of  coquetry  said  : 

"  Still  I  think  you  are  right,  Mr.  De  Forrest." 

Then  she  noted  that  Mr.  Hemstead's  eyes  were 
dancing  with  mirth  at  her  hint  to  one  who  was  evi 
dently  anxious  to  keep  "  Thanksgiving  "  over  her 
any  month  in  the  year. 

"  I'm  sure  I  am,"  replied  De  Forrest.  "  I  could 
never  be  satisfied  to  admire  at  a  distance.  I  could 
not  join  in  a  prayer  I  once  heard,  'Lord,  we  thank 
thee  for  this  and  all  other  worlds.'  " 

"  Could  you  ?  "  asked  Lottie  of  Hemstead. 

"Why  not?" 

"  That  is  no  answer." 

Hemstead  was  growing  more  at  ease,  and  when 
he  only  had  to  use  his  brains  was  not  half  so  much 
at  a  loss  as  when  he  must  also  manage  his  hands  and 
feet,  and  he  replied  laughingly : 

"  Well,  not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,  this 
world  is  quite  useful  to  me  at  present.  I  should  be 
sorry  to  have  it  vanish  and  find  myself  whirling  in 
space,  if  I  am  a  rather  large  body.  But  as  I  am 
soon  to  get  through  with  this  world,  though  never 
through  with  life,  I  may  have  a  chance  to  enjoy  a 
good  many  other  worlds — perhaps  all  of  them — 


40  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

before  eternity  is  over,  and  so  be  grateful  that  they 
exist  and  are  in  waiting." 

"  Good  heavens!"  exclaimed  Lottie.  "  What  a 
traveller  you  propose  to  be.  I  should  be  satisfied 
with  a  trip  to  Europe." 

"  To  Paris,  you  mean,"  said  Bel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Hemstead,  "  until  the  trip  was 
over." 

"Then  I  trust  she  will  be  content  with  New 
York,"  insinuated  De  Forrest ;  "  for  Mr.  Hemstead 
speaks  as  if  the  stars  were  created  for  his  especial 
benefit." 

4<  You  are  enjoying  some  honey,  Mr.  De  Forrest  ?  " 
said  Hemstead,  quietly. 

"  Yes." 

"  Did  the  flowers  grow  and  the  bees  gather  for 
your  especial  benefit  ?  " 

"  I  admit  I'm  answered." 

"  But,"  said  sceptical  Mr.  Harcourt,  "  when 
you've  got  through  with  this  world  how  do  you 
know  but  that  you  will  drop  off  into  space  ?  " 

"  Come,"  said  Addie,  rising  from  the  table,  "  I 
protest  against  a  sermon  before  Sunday." 

They  now  returned  to  the  parlor,  Hemstead 
making  the  transition  in  safety,  but  with  no  little 
trepidation. 


PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED.  41 


CHAPTER  III. 

PUZZLED   AND   INTERESTED. 

ON  the  way  to  the  parlor  Lottie  hovered  near 
Mr.  Hemstead.  Unlike  Micawber,  she  was 
not  one  to  wait,  but  purposed  that  something  should 
"  turn  up."  The  two  other  young  ladies,  and  Har- 
court  and  De  Forrest,  sat  down  to  a  game  of  whist. 
In  pursuance  of  instructions  from  Lottie,  De  Forrest 
was  not  to  be  over-attentive,  though  it  was  evident 
that  he  would  give  more  thought  to  her  than  his 
game.  Her  demure  mischief  amused  him  vastly, 
and,  knowing  what  she  was,  the  novelty  of  her  Puri 
tan  style  had  a  double  fascination.  Making  per 
sonal  enjoyment  the  object  of  his  life,  he  felicitated 
himself  on  soon  possessing  the  beautiful  and  piquant 
creature,  who,  when  she  came  to  devote  herself  to 
him,  would  spice  his  days  with  endless  variety. 
The  thought  that  this  high-spirited,  positive,  strong- 
minded  American  girl  might  crave  better  and  more 
important  work  than  that  of  an  Eastern  houri  or  a 
Queen  Scheherezade,  never  occurred  to  him.  He 
blundered,  with  many  other  men,  in  supposing  that, 
if  once  married,  the  wayward  belle  would  become 
subservient  to  his  tastes  and  moods  as  a  matter  of 
course.  In  his  matrimonial  creed  all  his  difficulty 


42  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

consisted  in  getting  the  noose  finally  around  the  fair 
one's  neck  ;  but  this  accomplished,  she  became  a 
ministering  captive.  Many  a  one  has  had  a  rude 
awakening  from  this  dream. 

Although  from  Addie  Marchmont's  description 
he  believed  that  he  had  little  cause  to  fear  a  rival  in 
Hemstead,  still  he  awaited  his  coming  with  a  trace 
of  anxiety.  But  when  the  seemingly  overgrown, 
awkward  student  stepped  upon  the  scene,  all  his 
fears  vanished.  The  fastidious  Lottie,  whose  eye  had 
grown  so  nice  and  critical  that  she  could  refuse  the 
suit  of  many  who  from  their  wealth  and  position 
thought  it  impossible  to  sue  in  vain,  could  never 
look  upon  this  Western  giant  in  a  way  other  than 
she  purposed — the  ridiculous  subject  of  a  practical 
joke.  True,  he  had  proved  himself  no  fool  in  their 
table  talk,  but  mere  intellectuality  and  moral  excel 
lence  counted  for  little  in  De  Forrest's  estimation 
when  not  combined  with  wealth  and  external  ele 
gance.  The  thought  that  the  "  giant  "  might  have  a 
heart,  and  that  Lottie's  clever  seeming  might  win  it, 
and  the  consequent  mortification  and  suffering,  did 
not  occasion  a  moment's  care.  Unconsciously  De 
Forrest  belonged  to  that  lordly  class  which  has  fur 
nished  our  Neros,  Napoleons,  and  tyrants  of  less 
degree,  even  down  to  Pat  who  beats  his  wife,  that, 
from  their  throne  of  selfishness,  view  the  pain  and 
troubles  of  others  with  perfect  unconcern.  There 
fore  believing  that  his  personal  interests  were  not 
endangered  by  so  unpromising  a  man  as  Hemstead, 
even  Lottie  did  not  look  forward  to  the  carrying  out 


PUZZLED   AND  INTERESTED.  43. 

of  the  practical  joke  with  more  zest  than  he.  If  the 
unsuspicious  victim  could  only  be  inveigled  into 
something  like  love,  its  awkward  display  might 
become  comical  in  the  extreme.  Therefore  he  gave 
but  careless  heed  to  his  "game,  and  keen  glances  to 
Lottie's  side-play.  But  as  the  other  conspirators 
were  acting  in  much  the  same  manner,  he  was  able 
to  hold  his  own. 

Hemstead  looked  grave,  as  cards  were  brought 
out,  but  without  remark  he  sat  down  with  his  aunt 
at  a  table  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hearth.  Lot 
tie  perched  on  a  chair  a  little  back  of  them,  so  that 
while  she  saw  their  side  faces  they  must  turn  some 
what  to  see  her.  When  they  did  so  she  was  quietly 
stitching  at  her  fancy  work,  but  the  rest  of  the  time 
was  telegraphing  with  her  brilliant  eyes  all  sorts  of 
funny  messages  to  the  party  opposite,  so  that  they 
were  in  a  state  of  perpetual  giggle,  not  in  keeping 
with  whist. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  soon  bustled  in  and,  looking  wist 
fully  at  the  game  in  progress,  was  about  to  propose 
that  they  form  one  likewise  at  their  table,  for  an 
evening  without  cards  was  to  him  a  mild  form  of 
purgatory.  But  Lottie  anticipated  him.  Giving  a 
signal  to  the  others  and  drawing  down  her  face  to 
portentous  length,  she  said  to  Hemstead : 

"  I  fear  you  do  not  approve  of  cards." 

"  You  are  correct,  Miss  Marsden,"  he  replied, 
stiffly. 

As  he  turned  away,  she  glanced  at  the  card  play 
ers  with  a  look  of  horror,  as  if  they  were  committing 


44  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

sacrilege,  and  Harcourt  had  to  improvise  another 
poor  joke  to  account  for  their  increasing  merriment. 

But  Mr.  Dimmerly  looked  at  his  nephew  in  dis 
may,  and  some  irritation.  "  What -under  heaven  can 
I  now  do,  this  long  evening,"  he  thought,  "  but  gape 
and  talk  theology  ?  " 

But  Lottie,  in  the  purpose  to  draw  out  and  quiz 
her  victim,  continued  : 

"  Really,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  surprise  me.  Cards 
are  the  staple  amusement  of  a  quiet  evening  in  New 
York.  I  fear  I  have  been  doing  wrong  all  my  life 
without  knowing  it." 

"  If  you  did  not  know  you  were  wrong,  you  were 
not  very  guilty,''  he  replied,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  but  now  I  do  know,  or  at  least  from  one 
who  will  be  an  authority  on  such  matters — pardon 
me — who  is  one  now,  I  am  assured  that  this  old 
custom  is  wrong.  In  questions  of  right  and  wrong, 
I  suppose  a  minister  should  guide." 

"  No,  Miss  Marsden,  that  is  not  Protestantism. 
Your  conscience,  instructed  by  the  Bible,  should 
guide." 

"  But  I  see  no  more  harm  in  whist  than  a  sleigh- 
ride." 

"  Perhaps  your  conscience  needs  instruction." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  that  is  it !     Please  instruct  it." 

He  turned  quickly,  but  saw  a  face  serious  enough 
for  an  anxious  seat  in  an  old-time  revival. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  testily.  "  My  con 
science  needs  instruction  also.  What  harm  is  there 
in  a  quiet  game  of  whist  ?  " 


PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED.  45 

"  Well,  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  anything 
wrong  in  a  '  quiet  game  of  cards,'  ' per  se,"  commenced 
Hemstead,  didactically. 

"  '  Per'  who?  "  asked  Lottie,  innocently. 

Just  then  the  party  at  the  other  table  seemed  to 
explode,  but  they  made  the  cause  to  appear  as  if 
coming  from  themselves. 

"Yes,  yes,  nephew,  speak  English.  You  may 
find  some  reasons  in  Latin,  but  none  in  English,  the 
only  language  of  sound  sense." 

"  Well,"  resumed  Hemstead,  somewhat  confused, 
"  I  do  not  know  that  a  quiet  game  such  as  you  would 
play  here  would  be  wrong  in  itself.  But  the  associa 
tions  of  the  game  are  bad,  and  your  example  might 
be  injurious." 

"  The  associations  bad  !  "  said  Lottie,  lifting  her, 
eyebrows.  "  Cards  are  associated  in  my  mind,  with 
father,  mother,  and  quiet  home  evenings." 

"  I  have  chiefly  seen  them  played  by  rough  char 
acters,  and  in  questionable  places,"  he  replied  quickly. 

"  I'm  sorry  you  visit  such  places,"  she  replied  in 
a  tone  of  rebuke. 

Even  Mr.  Dimmerly  and  his  sister  laughed  at 
this  remark,  as  coming  from  Lottie,  while  the  others 
were  almost  convulsed.  Bel  managed  to  gasp  out,  as 
a  blind  : 

"Mr.  Harcourt,  if  you  don't  behave  yourself  and 
play  fair,  I'll  throw  down  my  hand." 

But  straightforward  Hemstead  increased  difficul 
ties  by  saying,  a  little  stiffly : 

"  I  hope,  Miss  Marsden,  that  you  do  not  suppose 


46  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

that   one   of  my  calling  would   frequent  places   of 
improper  resort." 

"  No,  indeed,"  she  replied  quickly,  "  and  there 
fore  I  was  the  more  surprised  when  you  spoke  of 
witnessing  something  in  *  questionable  places/  " 

He  turned  to  her  with  a  look  in  which  perplexity 
and  annoyance  were  mingled,  and  said  hastily : 

"  It  is  different  with  a  man.  from  a  lady.  A  man 
is  more  out  in  the  world,  and  no  matter  how  care 
ful,  cannot  help  catching  glimpses  of  the  evil  sub 
stratum  of  society.  One  cannot  help  passing  through 
a  smoking-car  occasionally,  or —  " 

"  Good  heavens !  "  exclaimed  Lottie,  as  if  star 
tled.  "  Is  a  smoking-car  a  '  questionable  place  ?  ' 
Mr.  De  Forrest,''  she  continued  sharply,  "  did 
you  not  spend  half  an  hour  in  the  smoking-car 
coming  up  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  faintly. 

"You  surprise  me,  sir,"  she  said  severely.  "  Mr. 
Hemstead  declares  it  is  a  'questionable  place.'  I 
hope  hereafter  you  will  have  more  regard  for  your 
reputation." 

"  Please  do  not  mistake  me,"  said  Hemstead  with 
increasing  annoyance ;  "  I  did  not  mean  to  assert 
any  moral  qualities  of  smoking-cars,  though  with 
their  filth  and  fumes,  there  would  be  no  question  in 
your  mind  about  them  whatever,  Miss  Marsden. 
What  I  meant  to  say,  was,  that  in  such  places  as 
smoking-cars,  hotel  lobbies,  and  through  the  open 
doors  of  saloons,  are  caught  glimpses  of  a  life  which 
we  all  would  unite  in  condemning  and  loathing ;  and 


PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED.  47 

what  I  have  seen  has  always  led  me  to  connect  cards 
with  just  that  kind  of  life.  Moreover,  gambling — 
that  fearful  and  destructive  vice — is  almost  insepar 
able  from  cards." 

"  How  experiences  differ,"  said  Lottie,  reflect 
ively.  "  I  have  had  but  few  glimpses  of  the  life  you 
describe  so  graphically.  With  the  bits  of  paste 
board  that  you  have  seen  chiefly  in  course,  grimy 
hands,  I  associate  our  cosy  sitting-room  at  home, 
with  its  glowing  grate  and  '  moon-light  lamp/  as  we 
call  it,  for  father's  eyes  are  weak.  Even  now,"  she 
continued,  assuming  the  look  of  a  rapt  and  beautiful 
sibyl,  that  was  entrancing  to  Hemstead  as  w.ell  as 
De  Forrest — "  even  now  I  see  papa  and  mamma  and 
old-fashioned  Auntie  Jane,  and  poor  invalid  Jennie, 
all  gathered  at  home  in  our  sacred  little  snuggery 
where  father  permits  no  visitors  to  come." 

The  look  she  had  assumed  became  genuine,  and 
her  eyes  suddenly  moistened  as  the  scene  called  up 
became  real  and  present  to  her.  With  all  her  faults 
she  had  a  warm  heart,  and  loved  her  kindred  sin 
cerely. 

But  this  touch  of  truth  and  feeling  served  her 
mischievous  purpose  better  than  she  thought,  for  it 
convinced  the  honest-minded  Hemstead  that  she  was 
just  what  she  seemed,  and  his  sympathy  went  out  to 
her  at  once  as  a  well-meaning,  true-hearted  girl. 

He  was  a  little  taken  aback,  however,  when  Lot 
tie,  ashamed  of  her  feeling,  said  brusquely  : 

"  As  to  gambling  with  cards,  we  no  more  thought 
of  it  than  sending  to  a  corner  grocery  for  a  bottle 


48  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

of  whisky,  and  taking  from  it  a  drink  all  around 
between  the  games." 

"  Oh,  Lottie,"  laughed  her  aunt,  "  what  an 
absurd  picture  you  suggest.  The  idea  of  your 
stately  mother  taking  a  drink  from  a  bottle  of 
whisky!  " 

"  It  is  no  more  stra-nge  to  me,"  persisted  Lottie, 
gravely,  "  than  Mr.  Hemstead's  associations.  Of 
course  I  know  that  bad  and  vulgar  people  play 
cards,  but  they  also  drive  horses  and  walk  the  streets, 
and  do  other  things  which  it  is  perfectly  proper  for 
us  to  do." 

"  I  admit,  Miss  Marsden,  that  education  and  cus 
tom  make  a  great  difference.  I  have  always  been 
taught  to  look  upon  cards  with  great  abhorrence. 
What  may  be  right  for  you,  would  be  wrong  for  me." 

"  No,"  said  positive  Lottie,  "  that  will  not  satisfy 
me.  A  thing  is  either  right  or  wrong.  If  you  can 
prove  to  me  that  a  quiet  game  of  cards  is  wrong,  I 
won't  play  any  more — at  least  I  ought  not,"  she 
added  hastily.  "  Because  some  vulgar  and  fast  peo 
ple  gamble  with  them  is  nothing.  You  will  take  a 
sleigh-ride  with  us  to-morrow,  and  yet  loud  jockeys 
bet  and  gamble  over  horses  half  the  year." 

Hemstead  sprang  up.  His  ungainliness  disap 
peared,  as  was  ever  the  case  when  he  forgot  himself 
in  excitement. 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  "  what  you  say  sounds 
plausible,  but  years  ago  I  saw  the  mangled  corpse  of 
a  young  suicide.  He  was  an  adept  at  cards,  and  for 
aught  I  know  had  learned  the  game  as  your  brother 


PUZZLED  AND   INTERESTED.  49 

might,  at  home.  But  away  among  strangers  at  the 
West,  that  knowledge  proved  fatal.  He  was  invei 
gled  into  playing  by  some  gamblers,  staked  all  his  own 
money,  then  that  committed  to  his  trust.  Having 
lost  everything  but  life,  he  threw  that  also  down  the 
abyss.  He  might  have  been  living  to-day,  if  he  had 
known  as  little  about  cards  as  I  do." 

His  manner  was  so  earnest,  the  picture  called  up 
so  sad  and  tragic,  that  even  Lottie's  red  cheek  paled 
a  little,  and  the  gigglers  became  quiet.  She  only 
said  : 

"  He  was  very  weak  and  foolish.  I  can't  under 
stand  such  people." 

"  But  the  world  is  largely  made  up  of  the  weak 
and  foolish,  who  need  safe-guards  rather  than  temp 
tations.  And  history  would  seem  to  prove  that  even 
the  wisest  and  best  are  at  times  '  weak  and  foolish.' 
I  think  the  knowledge  of  card-playing  can  result  in 
no  harm  to  you,  shielded  as  you  will  be,  but  it  might 
to  your  brother.  Miss  Marsden,"  asked  he  abruptly, 
"  do  you  know  how  many  professional  gamblers  there 
are  in  the  world  ?  " 

"No." 

"  I  do  not  remember  the  estimated  number  accu 
rately,  but  it  is  very  large.  They  often  revel  in 
wealth,  but  they  do  not  make  it  out  of  each  other. 
It  is  from  the  unwary,  the  '  weak  and  foolish  '  who 
think  they  can  win  money  by  playing  a  fair  game. 
They  are  permitted  to  win  just  enough  to  turn  their 
heads,  and  then  are  robbed.  Remorse,  despair,  and 
suicide  too  often  follow.  Cards  are  the  usual  means 
3 


50  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

employed  in  these  great  wrongs.  I  should  be  sorry 
to  see  a  young  brother  of  mine,  who  was  soon  to 
face  the  temptations  of  the  world,  go  away  with  a 
knowledge  that  has  been  the  ruin  of  so  many." 

This  was  bringing  the  question  home  to  Lottie 
in  a  way  that  she  did  not  expect.  Her  heedless, 
wilful,  impulsive  brother,  the  dear  torment  of  her 
life,  was  iust  the  one  an  artful  knave  could  mislead. 
For  a  moment  or  two  she  sat  silent  and  thoughtful. 
All  awaited  her  answer  save  Mr.  Dimmerly,  who, 
without  his  whist,  had  dropped  off  into  a  doze  as  was 
his  wont.  Then  her  decided  character  asserted 
itself,  and  she  spoke  sincerely  for  the  moment. 

"  I  do  not  believe  in  the  safety  of  ignorance.  If 
a  young  man  is  weak  and  bad  enough  to  gamble,  he 
will  do  it  with  something  else,  if  not  cards.  From 
what  I  hear,  men  bet  and  gamble  with  all  uncer 
tainties.  The  most  innocent  things  are  carried  to 
vulgar  and  wicked  excess.  You  can't  shield  one 
from  without  if  lacking  the  will  and  power  to  say 
No  !  I  think  it  will  be  safer  and  wiser  in  the  end, 
if  a  thing  is  right  'per  se,  as  you  say,  to  do  it,  and 
if  wrong  not  to  do  it.  To  me,  a  game  of  cards 
is  no  more  than  a  game  of  checkers,  or  a  stroll  in  a 
garden." 

In  his  eagerness  to  reply,  Hemstead  took  a  step 
forward  and  trod  upon,  not  a  lady's  dress  this  time, 
but  the  tail  of  Mrs.  Marchmont's  pet  dog.  .  As  may 
be  imagined,  his  tread  was  not  fairy-like,  and  there 
was  a  yelp  that  awoke  the  echoes.  Mr.  Dimmerly 
started  out  of  his  sleep,  with  a  snort  like  the  blast 


PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED.  51 

of  a  rams  horn  before  Jericho,  and  pushing  his  gold 
spectacles  to  the  top  of  his  bald  head,  stared  in 
bewilderment  at  the  forms  convulsed  with  merriment 
around  him. 

Even  Hemstead  joined  in  the  laugh,  though 
inwardly  inclined  to  anathematize  his  big  feet.  Lot 
tie  retreated  from  further  discussion  by  saying  : 

"  I  have  heard  that  theologians  were  inclined  to 
be  </<9£"matic  in  controversy,  and  I  fear  that  you  are 
no  exception,  Mr.  Hemstead.  So,  since  I  have  had 
the  last  word,  with  your  permission,  I  retire  '  of  the 
same  opinion  still.' ' 

"  I  submit,"  he  rejoined,  good-naturedly.  "  In 
any  case  my  answer  would  have  been  curtailed" 

"Ha,  ha!"  chimed  out  Lottie's  laugh.  "That 
is  better  than  your  logic." 

"  Frank !  that  you  should  call  this  dear  little 
creature  a  cur  ! "  said  Mrs.  Marchmont,  comforting 
her  still  whining  pet. 

"  What  discourtesey !  "  said  Lottie. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  all  ? "  asked  Mr. 
Dimmerly,  rising.  "  From  talking  Latin  you  have 
got  on  something 'that  I  understand  as  well  as  Choc- 
taw.  Lottie,  I  hope  you  are  not  argued  out  of  one 
of  our  best  old  English  customs.  I  have  inherited 
whist  from  a  dozen  generations.  So,  nephew,  with 
your  leave  or  your  frown,  I  must  have  my  game." 

"  I  cannot  say,  uncle,  that  Mr.  Herhstead  has 
argued  very  much,  but  two  very  painful  tales  have 
been  presented  in  an  impressive  manner.  You  see 
how  moved  auntie  and  Fido  are  still  over  one  of 


52  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

them.  But  come,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  have  dis 
charged  your  duty.  If  they  play  whist  all  night  and 
commit  suicide  in  the  morning,  your  skirts  are  clear. 
Shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet  at  them,  and  take  a 
promenade  in  the  hall  \yith  me.  Cousin  Julian" 
(with  emphasis  on  the  word  cousin),  "  your  con 
science  is  as  tough  and  elastic  as  Mr.  Hemstead's  is 
tender.  You  haunt  smoking-cars  and  other  ques 
tionable  places ;  so,  without  serious  moral  harm,  you 
can  gratify  uncle." 

Mrs.  Marchmont,  who  had  listened  with  polite 
weariness  to  the  latter  part  of  the  discussion,  now 
took  part  in  the  game  as  quietly  as  she  would  pour 
tea  at  the  head  of  the  table.  The  aunt  and  nephew 
had  lived  in  such  different  atmospheres  that  they 
could  scarcely  understand  each  other,  and  both  har 
bored  thoughts  that  were  hardly  charitable,  as  is 
usdally  the  case  in  regard  to  those  actions  which 
have  no  moral  qualities  in  themselves,  and  after  all 
must  be  decided  by  each  one's  conscience.  To  Mrs. 
Marchmont,  with  her  antecedents,  a  game  of  whist 
was  one  of  the  most  innocent  acts  of  her  life. 

But  Hemstead  was  too  well  pleased  with  Lottie's 
arrangement  to  grieve  deeply  over  what,  to  his  con 
science,  was  wrong,  and  soon  forgot  uncle,  aunt,  and 
cousin,  and  even  the  unlucky  lap-dog,  whose  dismal 
howl  had  so  discomfited  him  a  moment  before. 
Just  such  a  luminary  as  Lottie  Marsden  had  never 
appeared  above  his  horizon,  and  her  orbit  seemed  so 
eccentric  that  as  yet  he  could  not  calculate  it ;  but 
this  element  of  uncertainty  made  observation  all  the 


PUZZLED  AND  INTERESTED.  53 

more  interesting.  The  wide  old  hall,  without  the 
embarrassment  of  observant  eyes,  was  just  the  place 
to  learn  something  more  definite  of  one  who  thus 
far  had  dazzled  and  puzzled,  while  she  strongly 
gained  his  interest.  True,  Addie  and  Mr.  Harcourt 
were  walking  before  them,  but  they  seemed  so 
absorbed  in  each  other  as  not  to  notice  them.  He 
felt  a  curious  thrill  when  a  little  hand  lighted,  like  a 
snow-flake,  upon  his  arm,  but  soon  increased  its 
pressure  with  a  sort  of  cousinly  confidence.  He 
looked  inquiringly  into  the  face  turned  up  to  him  as 
they  passed  under  the  lamp,  and  thought,  "  In  its 
guileless  beauty  it  reminds  me  of  the  clear  mountain 
lakes  that  I  have  seen  in  this  region." 

His  figure  was  true,  but  not  as  he  understood  it ; 
for  Lottie's  face,  like  the  lake,  would  then  reflect 
anything  that  happened  upon  the  margin  of  her 
thoughts,  while  her  heart  remained  hidden.  He 
thought  he  saw  herself,  but  in  truth  only  false  and 
vanishing  images.  Still,  like  the  mirroring  water, 
her  skilful  feigning  could  make  the  images  seem  very 
real.  Hemstead,  with  his  boundless  faith  in  woman, 
believed  all  he  saw,  and  hoped  still  more. 


54  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A  LITTLE  PAGAN. 

THE  joke  had  now  taken  a  phase  that  De  For 
rest  did  not  relish.  While  Lottie's  by-play 
was  present,  and  she  was  telegraphing  him  with  her 
brilliant  eyes,  it  was  excellent.  But  to  sit  with 
his  back  to  the  door  leading  into  the  hall,  vis-h-vis 
to  Mr.  Dimmerly's  puckered  face,  and  give  close, 
attention  to  the  game,  was  a  trying  ordeal  to  one 
who  only  consulted  his  own  pleasure.  And  yet  he 
feared  he  would  offend  Lottie,  did  he  not  remain  at 
his  post.  She  was  a  despotic  little  sovereign,  and  he 
felt  that  he  must  use  all  address,  until  she  was  safely 
brought  to  the  matrimonial  altar.  He  comforted  him 
self,  however,  with  the  thought  that  she  was  gener 
ous,  and  when  he  acted  the  role  of  martyr  she  usually 
rewarded  him  with  a  greater  show  of  kindness,  and 
so  got  through  an  hour  with  indifferent  grace. 

But  this  purgatorial  hour  to  him,  was  keenly 
enjoyed  by  Lottie  and  Hemstead,  though  by  each 
for  different  reasons. 

"  I  fear  you  think  me  a  giddy  wayward  girl," 
said  Lottie  gently. 

"  In  frankness,  I  hardly  know  what  to  think," 
replied  Hemstead. 


A  LITTLE  PAGAN.  55 

"  Frank  is  your  name,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"Yes." 

".It  seems  appropriate.  I  hope  you  won't  judge 
me  too  harshly." 

"The  danger  is  the  other  way,  I  fear,"  he  said 
laughing. 

"  Well,  one  of  your  profession  ought  to  be  char 
itable.  But  I  might  naturally  expect  to  be  disap 
proved  of,  by  one  so  good  and  wise  as  you  are." 

"  Why  do  you  think  me  '  good  and  wise  '  ?  " 

"  Because  you  are  a  minister,  if  for  no  other 
reason." 

"  I  am  also  a  man." 

"Yes,"  she  said  innocently.  "You  are  quite 
grown  up." 

He  looked  at  her  quickly ;  her  demure  face  puz 
zled  him,  and  he  said  : 

"  I  fear  you  think  I  am  overgrown." 

"  And  I  fear  you  don't  care  what  I  think.  Men 
of  your  profession  are  superior  to  the  world." 

"  Really,  I  shall  think  you  are  sarcastic,  if  you 
talk  that  way  any  more."  But  she  looked  so  serious 
that  he  half  believed  she  was  in  earnest. 

"  Are  ministers  like  other  men?  "  she  asked,  with 
a  spice  of  genuine  curiosity  in  her  question.  The 
venerable  pastor  of  the  church  which  she  attended  in 
New  York  had  not  seemed  to  belong  to  the  same 
race  as  herself.  His  hair  was  so  white,  his  face  so 
bloodless,  his  life  so  saintly,  and  his  sermons  so 
utterly  beyond  her,  that  he  appeared  as  dim  and 
unearthly  as  one  of  the  Christian  Fathers.  A  young 


56  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

theologian  on  the  way  to  that  same  ghostly  state 
was  an  object  of  piquant  interest.  She  had  never 
had  a  flirtation  with  a  man  of  this  character,  there 
fore  there  was  all  the  zest  of  novelty.  Had  she  been 
less  bold  and  fearless,  she  would  have  shrunk  from  it, 
however,  with  something  of  the  superstitious  dread 
that  many  have  of  jesting  in  a  church,  or  a  grave 
yard.  But  there  was  a  trace  of  hardihood  in  her 
present  course  that  just  took  her  fancy.  From  lack 
of  familiarity  with  the  class,  she  had  a  vague  impres 
sion  that  ministers  differed  widely  from  other  men, 
and  to  bring  one  down  out  of  the  clouds  as  a  flutter 
ing  captive  at  her  feet,  would  be  a  triumph  indeed. 
A  little  awe  mingled  with  her  curiosity  as  she  sought 
to  penetrate  the  scholastic  and  saintly  atmosphere 
in  which  she  supposed  even  an  embyro  clergyman 
dwelt.  She  hardly  knew  what  to  say  when,  in  reply 
to  her  question,  "  Are  ministers  like  other  men?" 
he  asked  : 

"  Why  not?" 

"  That  is  hardly  a  fair  way  to  answer." 
"You  do  not  find  me  a  mysterious  being." 
"  I  find  you  very  different  from  other  young  men 
of  my  acquaintance.     What  to  me  is  a  matter  of 
course,  is  dreadful  to  you.     Then  you  ministers  have 
such  strange  theological  ways  of  dividing  the  world 
up    into  saints  and    sinners,  and  you  coolly  predict 
such  awful  things  for  the  sinners  (though  I  confess 
the  sinners  take  it  quite  as  coolly).     The  whole  thing 
seems  professional  rather  than  true." 

The  tone  of  deep  sadness  in  which  the  young 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  57 

man  next  spoke,  caused  her  to  look  at  him  with  a 
little  surprise. 

"  I  do  not  wonder  that  this  mutual  coolness  per 
plexes  you.  If  we  believe  the  Bible,  it  is  the 
strangest  mystery  in  existence." 

"  You  may  well  put  that  in.  Do  the  generality 
of  people  believe  the  Bible  ?  But  as  I  was  saying, 
from  the  very  nature  of  your  calling  you  come  to 
live  far  away  from  us.  Our  old  minister  knows  more 
about  dead  people  than  the  living.  He  knows  all 
about  the  Jews  and  Greeks  who  lived  eighteen  centu 
ries  ago,  but  next  to  nothing  of  the  young  of  his  own 
church.  My  motives  and  temptations  would  be 
worse  than  Sanscrit  to  him — harder  to  understand 
than  the  unsolved  problems  of  mathematics.  What 
does  such  a  man  know  about  the  life  of  a  young  lady 
in  society  ?  That  which  influences  me  would  seem 
less  than  nothing  to  him." 

"  I  think  you  misjudge  your  pastor.  If  you 
became  well  acquainted  with  him,  you  might  find  a 
heart  overflowing  with  sympathy." 

"  I  can  no  more  get  acquainted  with  him  than  if  he 
dwelt  on  Mount  Olympus.  If  I  were  only  a  doctrine, 
he  might  study  me  up  and  know  something  about 
me.  But  there  is  so  much  flesh  and  blood  about  me 
that  I  fear  I  shall  always  be  distasteful  to  ministers." 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Marsden,  I  find  you  more 
interesting  than  some  doctrines." 

"  But  you  are  young.  You  are  on  a  vacation,  and 
can  for  a  time  descend  to  trifles,  but  you  will  grow 
like  the  rest.  As  it  is  you  speak  very  guardedly,  and 
3* 


58  FROM  JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

intimate  that  I  would  be  as  nothing  compared  with 
other  doctrines." 

"  What  is  a  doctrine,  Miss  Marsden  ?  " 

"  Oh,  bless  me,  I  don't  know  exactly ;  a  sort  of 
abstract  summing  up  of  either  our  qualities  or  God's 
qualities.  The  only  doctrine  I  even  half  understand 
is  that  of '  total  depravity/  and  I  sometimes  fear  it's 
true." 

"  I  think  you  are  a  great  deal  more  interesting 
than  the  c doctrine  of  total  depravity/"  said  Hem- 
stead,  laughing. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  come  to  think  I  am  synony 
mous  with  it." 

"  No  fear.  I  have  seen  too  much  of  you  for  that 
already." 

"  What  redeeming  features  have  you  seen  ?  " 

He  looked  at  her  earnestly  for  a  moment,  and 
she  sustained  his  gaze 'with  an  expression  of  such 
innocent  sweetness  that  he  said,  a  little  impul 
sively  : 

"All  your  features  redeem  you  from  that 
charge." 

"  Oh,  fie ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  a  pun  and  flattery  in 
one  breath  ! " 

"  I  do  not  mean  to  flatter.  Although  in  some 
respects  you  puzzle  me,  I  am  very  clear  and  positive 
as  to  my  feeling  of  gratitude.  While  my  aunt  feels 
kindly  toward  me,  she  is  formal.  It  seemed  to  me 
when  I  came  out  of  the  cold  of  the  wintry  night,  I 
found  within  a  more  chilling  coldness.  But  when 
you  gave  me  your  warm  hand  and  claimed  something 


A  LITTLE  PAGAN-.  59 

like  kindred,  I  was  grateful  for  that  which  does  not 
always  accompany  kindred — genuine  kindness.  "This 
feeling  was  greatly  increased  when  instead  of  making 
my  diffidence  and  awkwardness  a  theme  of  ridicule, 
you  evinced  a  delicate  sympathy,  and  with  graceful 
tact  suggested  a  better  courtesy  to  others.  Do  you 
think  then,  that,  after  this  glimpse  down  such  a  beau 
tiful  vista  in  your  nature,  I  can  associate  you 
with  'total  depravity'?  It  was  plain  to  you,  Miss 
Marsden,  that  I  had  seen  little  of  society,  but  you 
acted  as  if  that  were  my  misfortune,  not  fault.  I 
think  the  impulse  that  leads  one  to  try  to  shield  or 
protect  another  who  for  the  time  may  be  weak  or 
defenceless,  is  always  noble." 

If  Lottie  had  shown  a  little  before  that  she  had 
a  heart,  she  now  became  painfully  aware  that  she 
had  a  conscience,  and  it  gave  her  some  severe  twinges 
during  this  speech.  For  a  moment  she  wished  she 
deserved  his  commendation.  But  she  was  not  one  to 
do  things  by  halves,  and  so,  recklessly  throwing 
aside  her  qualms,  said  laughingly  : 

"  I  don't  think  a  gentleman  of  your  inches  at  all 
an  object  of  pity.  You  are  big  enough  to  take  care 
of  yourself." 

"  And  I  mean  to  as  far  as  I  can.  But  we  all  need 
help  at  times.  You  know  a  mouse  once  served  a 
lion." 

"Thank  you.  Now  you  have  counterbalanced 
all  your  fine  speeches  And  compliments.  (  A  mouse 
serving  a  lion  !  '  Wejj,  roar  gently  if  you  please." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  appear  to  you  like  another  animal 


60  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

that  once  donned  a  lion's  skin,  but  whose  ears,  alas, 
protruded." 

"  That  is  rather  a  skilful  retreat  ;  but  I  imagine 
that  you  think  yourself  a  veritable  lion." 

"  If  you  insist  on  my  being  a  lion,  I  must  refer 
you  to  ancient  mythology,  where  one  of  these  over 
rated  beasts  is  held  a  crouching  captive  by  Diana." 

"  Well,  that  is  quite  a  transition.  First  com 
pared  to  a  mouse,  and  then  to  the  moon.  I  fear 
that  if  you  did  not  visit  '  questionable  places '  you 
have  permitted  your  mind  to  dwell  on  the  '  question 
able  '  myths  of  the  past." 

"  Oh,  that  was  in  the  regular  order  of  things,"  he 
replied.  "  Before  coming  to  the  study  of  theology, 
we  are  put  through  mythology ;  that  is,  under  the 
guidance  of  reverend  professors  we  make  the  acquaint 
ance  of  a  set  of  imaginary  beings  who  had  they  verit 
ably  lived,  and  in  our  day,  would  have  soon  found 
their  way  to  the  penitentiary." 

"  At  the  door  of  which  the  '  lion '  and  *  Diana  ' 
would  part  company,  and  so  I  would  lose  my  gentle 
*  captive '  and  become  as  disconsolate  as  auntie 
would  have  been  had  you  trodden  on  the  reverse 
extremity  of  her  pet." 

"  Oh,  pardon  me,  but  Diana  was  an  exception  to 
the  rest." 

"  Better  or  worse  ?  " 

"  Better,  of  course.  She  was  a  trifle  cruel  though, 
was  she  not?  " 

"  You  have  been  proving  me  very  tender-hearted." 

"  So  every  woman  should  be." 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  6 1 

"  I  doubt  whether  you  know  much  about  us." 

"  I  cannot  imagine  a  being — not  even  an  angel, 
more  pure,  unselfish,  and  true  than  my  mother ;  and 
she  is  a  woman." 

"  Miss  Lottie,"  here  broke  in  De  Forest,  "  I've 
played  whist  to  the  utmost  limit  of  my  conscience. 
You  will  not  keep  me  on  the  rack  any  longer." 

"  Oh,  no,  Cousin  Julian,"  she  replied,  sotto  voce, 
"  only  on  the  sofa  with  our  dear  cousin  Bell.  See, 
she  sits  there  alone.  Good-by,"  and  she  swept  by, 
with  a  malicious  twinkle  in  her  eyes  at  his  blank 
expression. 

But  Belle  saw  and  understood  the  scene.  With 
a  cynical  smile  she  went  to  the  piano,  and  commenced 
a  brilliant  waltz.  Under  its  spell  Addie  and  Mr. 
Harcourt  came  whirling  up  the  hall,  and  Lottie,  who 
had  been  under  restraint  so  long,  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  of  letting  De  Forrest  carry  her  off  also. 

"  It's  only  with  my  cousin,  you  know,"  she  whis 
pered  apologetically  to  Hemstead. 

He  stood  in  the  door-way  for  a  few  moments  and 
watched  her  graceful  figure  with  a  strange  and  grow 
ing  interest.  Whether  saint  or  sinner,  this  being  so 
emphatically  of  flesh  and  blood  was  exceedingly  fas 
cinating.  The  transition  from  the  cloister-like 
seclusion  of  his  seminary  life  to  this  suburb  of  the  gay 
world  was  almost  bewildering  ;  and  Lottie  Marsden 
was  one  to  stir  the  thin  blood  and  withered  heart 
of  the  coldest  anchorite.  The  faint  perfume  which 
she  seemed  to  exhale  like  a  red  rose-bush  in  June, 
was  a  pleasing  exchange  for  the  rather  musty  and 


62  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

scholastic  atmosphere  in  which  he  so  long  had  dwelt, 
As  she  glanced  by  as  lightly  as  a  bird  on  the  wing, 
she  occasionally  beamed  upon  him  with  one  of  her 
dangerous  smiles.  She  then  little  thought  or  cared 
that  his  honest  and  unoccupied  heart  was  as  ready 
to  thaw  and  blossom  into  love  as  a  violet  bank  facing 
the  south  in  spring.  He  soon  had  a  vague  conscious 
ness  that  he  was  not  doing  just  the  prudent  thing, 
and  therefore  rejoined  his  aunt  and  imcle.  Soon 
after,  he  pleaded  the  weariness  of  his  journey  and 
retired.  As  he  was  about  to  mount  the  stairs  Lottie 
whirled  by  and  whispered  : 

"  Don't  think  me  past  praying  for." 

The  slang  she  used  in  jest  came  to  him,  with  his 
tendencies  and  convictions,  like  an  unconscious  appeal 
and  a  divine  suggestion.  He  was  utterly  unconven 
tional,  and  while  readily  unbending  into  mirthful- 
ness,  life  to  him  was  an  exceedingly  serious  thing. 
As  the  eye  of  artist  and  poet  catches  glimpses  of 
beauty  where  to  others  are  only  hard  lines  and  plain 
surfaces,  so  strong  religious  temperaments  are  quick 
to  see  providences,  intimations,  and  leadings. 

Hemstead  went  to  his  room  with  steps  that  deep 
thought  rendered  slower  and  slower.  He  forgot  his 
weariness,  and  sat  down  before  the  fire  to  think  of 
one  known  but  a  few  brief  hours.  If  there  are 
those  who  can  coolly  predict  "  awful  things  "  of  the 
faithless  and  godless,  Hemstead  was  not  one  of  them. 
The  young  girl  who  thought  him  a  good  subject  for 
jest  and  ridicule,  he  regarded  with  profound  pity. 
To  his  mind,  accustomed  to  Bible  figures,  it  was  as 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  63 

if  a  lamb  had  strayed  from  the  fold,  and  was  sport 
ing  while  the  sunlight  lasted  in  a  wilderness  where  it 
would  shrink  cower  and  die  in  terror  amid  the  hor 
rors  of  coming  night.  Her  utter  unconsciousness  of 
danger  had  to  him  the  elements  of  deepest  pathos. 

While  perplexed  by  contradictions  in  her  manner 
and  words,  he  concluded  that  she  was  what  she 
seemed,  a  girl  of  unusual  force  of  mind,  frank  and 
kindly,  and  full  of  noble  impulses,  but  whose  religious 
nature  was  but  slightly  developed.  He  at  that 
time  would  have  been  shocked  and  indignant  if  he 
had  known  the  truth.  Her  natural'  tendencies  had 
been  good.  Her  positive  nature  would  never  waver 
weakly  along  the  uncertain  boundary  of  good  and 
evil,  as  was  the  case  with  Belle  Parton.  She  was  one 
who  would  be  decided  and  progressive  in  one  direc 
tion  or  the  other,  but  now  was  clearly  on  the  sinister 
side  of  truth  and  moral  loveliness.  Surrounding 
influences  had  been  adverse.  She  had  yielded  to 
them,  and  they  had  carried  her  farther  astray  than 
one  of  a  cautious  and  less  forceful  temperament. 
While  therefore  full  of  good  impulses,  she  was  also 
passionate  and  selfish.  Much  homage  had  made  her 
imperious,  exacting,  and  had  developed  no  small  de 
gree  of  vanity.  She  exulted  in  the  power  and  preemi 
nence  that  beauty  gave,  and  often  exerted  the  former 
cruelly,  though  it  is  due  to  her  to  state  she  did  not 
realize  the  pain  she  caused.  While  her  own  heart 
slept,  she  could  not  understand  the  aching  disquiet 
of  others  that  she  toyed  with.  That  it  was  good 
sport,  high-spiced  excitement,  and  occupation  for  her 


64  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

restless  active  mind  was  all  she  considered.  As  she 
would  never  be  neutral  in  her  moral  character,  so  she 
was  one  who  would  either  do  much  harm  or  good. 
Familiarity  with  the  ifTsincerities  of  fashionable  life 
had  blurred  her  sense  of  truthfulness  in  little  things, 
and  in  matters  of  policy  she  could  hide  her  meaning 
or  express  another  as  well  as  her  veteran  mother. 

And  yet  there  were  great  possibilities  of  good  in 
her  character.  She  had  a  substraturn  of  sound  com 
mon  sense.  A  wholesome  averseness  for  meanness, 
cowardice,  and  temporizing.  Best  of  all,  she  'was 
not  shallow  and  weak.  She  could  appreciate  noble 
action,  and  her  mind  kindle  at  great  thoughts  if  pre 
sented  clearly  and  strongly. 

She  could  scarcely  be  blamed  severely  for  being 
what  she  was,  for  she  had  only  responded  to  the  in 
fluences  that  had  ever  surrounded  her,  and  been 
moulded  by  them.  Her  character  was  rapidly  form 
ing,  but  not  as  yet  fixed.  Therefore  her  best  chance 
of  escaping  a  moral  deformity  as  marksd  as  her 
external  beauty  was  the  coming  under  an  entirely 
different  class  of  influences. 

However  earthly  parents  may  wrong  their  chil 
dren  by  neglect,  or  by  permitting  in  themselves  char 
acters  that  react  ruinously  upon  those  sacredly 
intrusted  to  their  training,  the  Divine  Father  seems 
to  give  all  a  chance  sometime  in  life  for  the  achieve 
ment  of  the  grandest  of  all  victories,  the  conquest  of 
self.  Whatever  abstract  theories  dreamers  may 
evolve  secluded  from  the  world,  those  who  observe 
closely — who  know  humanity  from  infancy  to  age — are 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  65 

compelled  to  admit,  however  reluctantly,  that  the 
ini^er  self  of  every  heart  is  tainted  and  poisoned  by 
evil.  The  innocence  of  childhood  is  too  much  like 
the  harmlessness  of  the  lion's  whelps.  However 
loftily  and  plausibly  some  may  assert  the  innate  good 
ness  and  self-rectifying  power  of  humanity,  as  Tom 
Paine  wrote  against  the  Bible  without  reading  it,  not 
having  been  able  at  the  time  to  procure  one  in  in 
fidel  Paris,  those  who  take  the  scientific  course  of 
getting  the  facts  first,  shake  their  heads  despond- 
ingly.  It  is  true  that  parents  discover  diversities  in 
their  children.  Some  are  sweeter-tempered  than 
others,  and  seemed  pointed  horizontally,  if  not  heav 
enward,  in  their  natures.  Many  bid  fair  to  stand 
high,  measured  by  earthly  standards.  But  the  ap 
proving  world  can  know  nothing  of  the  evil  thoughts 
that  haunt  the  heart. 

What  mother  has  not  been  almost  appalled  as  she 
has  seen  the  face  of  her  still  infant  child  inflamed 
with  rage,  and  the  passionate  desire  for  revenge. 
The  chubby  hand  is  not  always  raised  to  caress,  but 
too  often  too  strike.  As  mind  and  heart  develop, 
darker  and  meaner  traits  unfold  with  every  natural 
grace.  There  is  a  canker-worm  in  the  bud,  and 
unless  it  is  taken  out,  there  never  can  be  a  perfect 
flower. 

But  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marsden  thought  of  none  of 
these  things.  The  mother  received  her  estimate  of 
life,  and  her  duty,  from  current  opinion  on  the 
Avenue.  She  complacently  felicitated  herself  that 
she  kept  up  with  the  changing  mode  quite  as  well,  if 


66  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

not  better  than  most  women  of  wealth  and  fashion. 
She  managed  so  well  that  she  excited  the  admiration 
of  some,  and  the  envy  of  more  ;  and  so  was  content. 
As  for  Mr.  Marsden,  between  his  business,  his  news 
paper,  whist,  and  an  occasional  evening  at  the  club 
or  some  entertainment  or  public  meeting  that  he 
could  not  escape,  his  life  was  full  and  running  over. 
He  never  had  time  to  give  a  thought  to  the  fine 
theories  about  his  children,  nor  to  the  rather  con 
tradictory  facts  often  reported  from  the  nursery. 
But  as  year  after  year  he  paid  the  enormous  and 
increasing  bills  for  nurses,  gouvernantes,  Italian 
music  masters,  and  fashionable  schools,  he  sincerely 
thought  that  few  men  did  as  much  for  his  children 
as  he. 

Of  course,  a  lady  from  whom  society  expected  so 
much  as  from  Mrs.  Marsden,  could  not  give  her  time 
to  her  children.  In  the  impressible  period  of  infancy 
and  early  childhood,  Lottie  and  her  brother,  and  an 
invalid  sister  older  than  herself,  had  been  left  chiefly 
to  the  charge  of  servants.  But  Mrs.  Marsden's  con 
science  was  at  rest,  for  she  paid  the  highest  prices  for 
her  French  and  German  nurses  and  governesses,  and 
of  course  "  had  the  best,"  she  said.  Thus  the  chil 
dren  lived  in  a  semi-foreign  atmosphere,  and  early 
caught  a  "  pretty  foreign  accent  "  which  their  mamma 
delighted  to  exhibit  in  the  parlor ;  and  at  the  same 
time  they  became  imbued  with  foreign  morals,  which 
they  also  put  on  exhibition  disagreeably  often.  When 
through  glaring  faults  the  stylish  nursery-maid  was 
dismissed,  the  obliging  keeper  of  the  intelligence  office 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  6? 

around  the  corner  had  another  foreign  waif  just 
imported,  who  at  a  slightly  increased  sum  was  ready 
to  undertake  the  care,  and  he  might  add  the  corrup 
tion,  of  the  children  in  the  most  approved  style. 
She  was  at  once  engaged,  and  to  this  stranger  and 
alien  the  children  were  committed  almost  wholly, 
while  Mrs.  Marsden  would  tell  her  afternoon  visitors 
how  fort-Linate  she  had  been  in  obtaining  a  new  nurse 
with  even  a  "  purer  accent."  The  probabilities  were 
that  her  doubtful  accent  was  the  purest  thing  about 
her.  Sometimes,  as  the  results  of  this  tutelage  grew 
more  apparent,  even  Mrs.  Marsden  had  misgivings. 
But  then  her  wealthiest  and  most  fashionable  neieh- 

o 

bors  were  pursuing  the  same  course  with  precisely 
the  same  results ;  and  so  she  must  be  right. 

If  Lottie  had  been  born  pellucid  as  a  drop  of 
dew,  as  some  claim,  she  would  not  have  remained  so 
long,  even  in  the  nursery,  and  as  she  stepped  out 
farther  and  faster  in  the  widening  sphere  of  her  life, 
surrounding  influences  did  not  improve. 

Her  extreme  beauty  and  grace,  and  the  conse 
quent  admiration  and  flattery,  developed  an  unusual 
degree  of  vanity,  which  had  strengthened  with  years ; 
though  now  she  had  too  much  sense  and  refinement 
to  display  it  publicly.  While  generous  and  naturally 
warm-hearted,  the  elements  of  gentleness  and  patient 
self-denial  for  the  sake  of  others,  at  this  time  could 
scarcely  have  been  discovered  in  her  character. 

Indeed  this  beautiful  girl,  nurtured  in  a  Christian 
land,  a  regular  attendant  upon  church,  was  a  pagan 
and  belonged  to  a  pagan  family.  Not  one  of  her 


68  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

household  worshipped  God.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marsden 
would  have  been  exceedingly  shocked  and  angered 
if  they  had  been  told  they  were  heathens.  But  at 
the  time  Paul  found  among  the  multitudinous  altars 
of  Athens  one  dedicated  to  the  "  Unknown  God," 
there  were  many  Grecian  men  and  women  more 
highly  cultivated  than  these  two  aristocrats  of  to 
day.  But  in  spite  of  external  devoutness  at  church, 
it  could  easily  be  shown  that  to  this  girl's  parents  the 
God  of  the  Bible  was  as  "  unknown  "  and  unheeded 
as  the  mysterious  and  unnamed  diety  concerning 
whose  claims  the  Apostle  so  startled  the  luxurious 
Athenians.  Like  the  ancient  Greeks,  all  had  their 
favorite  shrines  that,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
absorbed  heart  and  brain. 

Lottie  was  a  votress  of  pleasure,  and  the  first, 
and  about  the  only  article  of  her  creed  was  to  make 
everything  and  everybody  minister  to  her  enjoyment. 
She  rarely  entered  o-n  a  day  with  a  more  definite 
purpose  than  to  have  a  "  good  time ;  "  and  in  the 
attainment  of  this  end  we  have  seen  that  she  was  by 
no  means  scrupulous. 

She  was  as  cruel  a  little  pagan,  too,  as  any  of 
her  remote  Druidical  ancestors,  and  at  her  various 
shrines  of  vanity,  pleasure,  and  excitement,  delighted 
in  offering  human  sacrifices.  She  had  become  accus 
tomed  to  the  writhing  of  her  victims  and  soothed 
herself  with  the  belief  that  it  did  not  hurt  them  so 
very  much  after  all.  She  considered  no  farther  than 
that  flirtation  was  one  of  the  recognized  amuse 
ments  of  the  fashionable.  What  the  "  ton  "  did  was 


A    LITTLE  PAGAN.  .69 

law  and  gospel  to  her  mother ;  and  the  same  to 
Lottie,  if  agreeable.  If  not,  there  was  no  law  and 
gospel  for  her. 

She  had  no  more  scruple  in  making  a  victim  of 
Hemstead,  than  a  Fiji  Island  potentate  would,  in 
ordering  a  breakfast  according  to  his  depraved  and 
barbarous  taste.  And  when  even  society-men  had 
succumbed  to  her  wiles,  and  in  abject  helpless 
ness  had  permitted  her  to  place  her  imperious  foot 
upon  their  necks,  what  chance  had  a  warm-hearted, 
unsophisticated  fellow,  with  the  most  chivalric  ideas 
of  womanhood  ? 

Quick-witted  Lottie,  on  seeing  Hemstead  and 
hearing  his  table-talk,  had  modified  Addie  March- 
mont's  suggestion  in  her  own  mind.  She  saw  that, 
though  unsuspicious  and  trusting  in  his  nature,  he 
was  too  intelligent  to  be  imposed  upon  by  broad 
farce.  Therefore,  a  religious  mask  would  soon  be 
known  as  such.  Her  aunt  also  would  detect  the 
mischievous  plot  against  her  nephew  and  guest,  and 
thwart  the  whole  thing.  By  appearing  as  a  well- 
meaning  unguided  girl,  who  both  needed  and  wished 
an  adviser,  she  might  more  safely  keep  this  modern 
Samson  blindly  making  sport  for  her  and  the  others., 
and  at  the  same  time  not  awaken  the  troublesome 
suspicions  of  her  aunt  and  uncle.  In  the  character 
of  one  who  was  full  of  good  impulses — who  erred 
through  ignorance,  and  who  wished  to  be  led  and 
helped  to  better  things,  she  was  nearer  the  truth, 
and  could  act  her  part  more  perfectly. 

But  what  could  Frank  Hemstead,  coming  from  a 


7O  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

home  in  which  he  had  breathed  the  very  atmosphere 
of  truth  and  purity,  know  of  all  this  ?  To  him  Lot 
tie  was  the  most  beautiful  creature  he  had  ever  seen, 
and  in  his  crystal  integrity,  he  would  have  deemed 
it  a  foul  insult  to  her,  to  have  doubted  that  she  was 
just  what  she  seemed.  To  his  straightforward 
nature,  believing  a  woman  the  opposite  of  what  she 
seemed  was  like  saying  to  her  : 

"  Madam,  you  are  a  liar."  . 

The  world  would  be  better  if  women  did  more  to 
preserve  this  chivalric  trust. 

"  Past  praying  for  !  "  His  creed  taught  him  to 
pray  for  all  the  world,  and  already  a  subtle,  unrecog 
nized  impulse  of  his  heart  led  him  to  plead  before 
the  Divine  Father  for  one  who  seemed,  in  outward 
grace,  already  fitted  for  heavenly  surrroundings. 

When  a  block  of  unusually  perfect  marble  falls 
under  the  eye  of  a  true  sculptor,  he  is  conscious  of  a 
strong  impulse  to  bring  out  the  exquisite  statue  that 
is  distinctly  visible  to  his  mind.  Hemstead  was  an 
enthusiast  in  the  highest  form  of  art  and  human 
effort,  and  was  developing,  as  the  ruling  motive  of 
his  life,  a  passion  for  moulding  the  more  enduring 
material  of  character  into  moral  symmetry  and  love 
liness.  Humanity  in  its  most  forbidding  guise  inter 
ested  him,  for  his  heart  was  warm  and  large  and 
overflowed  with  a  great  pity  for  the  victims  of  evil.- 
In  this  respect  he  was  like  his  Master,  who  had 
"  compassion  on  the  multitude."  His  anticipation 
of  his  life-work  was  as  non-professional  as  that  of  a 
mother  who  yearns  over  the  children  she  cannot  help 


A   LITTLE  PAGAN.  Jl 

loving.  Lottie  appeared  strong  and  lovely  by  nature. 
It  seemed  to  him  that  the  half-effaced,  yet  still  lin 
gering  image  of  God  rested  upon  her  beautiful 
face  more  distinctly  than  he  had  ever  seen  it  else 
where.  The  thought  of  that  image  becoming  gradu 
ally  blurred  and  obliterated  by  sin — of  this  seem 
ingly  exquisite  and  budding  flower  growing  into  a 
coarse,  rank  weed,  was  revolting  to  his  mind. 

There  is  a  phase  of  depravity  that  leads  some  to 
delight  in  alluring  and  debasing  the  innocent  and 
pure.  The  reverse  of  this  malign  spirit  was  the 
motive  that  led  Hemstead  toward  the  ministry,  that 
he  might  employ  all  his  energies  in  fostering  every 
germ  of  good,  and  in  sowing  the  seed  of  truth  where 
otherwise  there  would  be  hopeless  barrenness. 


72  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  V. 

/• 

PLAIN  TALK. 

AT  last  the  sound  of  mirth  and  laughter  ceased, 
and  the  house  became  quiet. 

Lottie  sat  warming  her  feet  at  the  glowing  coals 
in  her  room,  before  retiring.  A  dreamy  smile  played 
upon  her  face,  coming  and  going  with  passing 
thoughts,  even  as  the  firelight  flickered  upon  it. 

She  was  in  an  unusually  amiable  mood,  for  this 
affair  with  Hemstead  promised  richly.  If  he  had 
been  an  ordinary  and  polished  society  man,  the  flir 
tation  would  have  been  humdrum — like  a  score  of 
others.  But  he  was  so  delightfully  fresh  and  honest, 
and  yet  so  clever  withal,  that  her  eyes  sparkled  with 
anticipating  mirth  as  she  saw  him  in  various  atti 
tudes  of  awkward  love-making,  and  then  dropping 
helplessly  into  the  abyss  of  his  own  great,  but  empty 
heart,  on  learning  the  vaianess  of  his  passion. 

"  He  finds  me  '  more  interesting  than  some  doc 
trines/  indeed  !  I'll  put  all  his  dry  doctrines  to  rout 
in  less  than  a  week.  I'll  drive  text-books  and  pro 
fessors  out  of  his  head,  and  everything  else  (save 
myself),  out  of  his  heart,  for  a  little  while.  But  after 
he  gets  back  to  Michigan,  the  doctrines  will  come 
creeping  back  into  their  old  place,  and  he  will  get 


PLAIN   TALK.  73 

comfortably  over  it  like  the  rest.  In  the  mean 
while,  as  substantial  and  useful  results,  I  will  have  my 
rare  bit  of  sport,  and  he  will  know  more  about  the 
wicked  world  against  which  he  is  to  preach.  By  and 
by  he  will  marry  a  pious  Western  giantess,  whose 
worst  dissipation  is  a  Sunday-school  picnic,  and  will 
often  petrify  her  soul  with  horror  and  wonder  by 
describing  that  awful  little  pagan,  Lottie  Marsden." 

"  And  a  heathen  I  am  in  very  truth.  Where  are 
missionaries  needed  more  than  in  Fifth  Avenue  ? 
They  had  better  not  come  though  ;  for  if  we  would 
not  eat  them,  we  would  freeze  them." 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about,  Lottie,  that  you 
are  smiling  so  sweetly  ?  "  asked  her  room-mate,  Bel 
Parton. 

"  In  truth,  it  was  a  sweet  thought,"  said  Lottie, 
her  laugh  awakening  sudden  echoes  in  the  still  house, 
and  sounding  as  oddly  as  a  bird's  song  at  night.  "  I'm 
glad  Frank  Hemstead  doesn't  know.  If  he  did,  I 
would  appall  instead  of  fascinating  him." 

"  I  think  your  plot  against  him  is  very  wrong — 
wicked,  indeed.  He  is  such  a  sincere,  good  young 
man,  that  I  like  it  less  and  less,  /couldn't  do  such 
a  thing." 

"  Still  you  can  look  on  and  enjoy  the  fun,  and 
that  is  all  you  have  to  do.  Poor  Bel,  you  are 
always  in  need  of  an  M.  D.'s  or  a  D.  D.'s  care.  I 
have  foresworn  both." 

So  spoke  Lottie  in  the  arrogance  of  her  perfect 
health  and  abounding  beauty,  and  then  (such  are 
the  seeming  contradictions  of  character)  she  knelt, 
4 


-74  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

and  appeared  as  a  white-robed  saint  at  her  devotions. 
But  the  parrot-like  prayer  that  she  hastily  mumbled 
was  of  no  possible  value  to  any  one.  She  had  con 
tinued  the  habit  from  childhood,  and  it  was  mainly 
habit.  The  other  motive  was  something  like  the 
feeling  of  a  careless  Catholic,  who  crosses  himself, 
though  he  cannot  explain  what  good  it  does  him. 

A  moment  later  she  might  have  been  taken  as  a 
model  of  sleeping  innocence. 

This  world  is  evidently  sadly  out  of  joint.  We 
all  know  of  the  most  gentle,  lovely,  unselfish  spirits, 
beautiful  to  Heaven's  eye,  that  are  enshrined  in  pain 
fully  plain  caskets.  In  the  instance  of  Lottie  Mars- 
den,  the  casket  was  of  nature's  most  exquisite 
workmanship,  but  it  held  a  tarnished  jewel. 

It  was  with  some  misgivings  that  Hemstead 
looked  forward  to  meeting  his  "  cousin,"  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning.  Would  she  be  as  radiantly  beauti 
ful,  as  piquant,  and  withal  as  kindly  and  frank  as  on 
the  previous  evening?  Even  his  limited  experience 
of  the  world  had  shown  him  that  in  the  matter-of- 
fact  and  searching  light  of  the  morning,  many  of  the 
illusions  of  the  night  vanished.  He  had  noted  with 
no  little  surprise  that  ladies  seemingly  young  and 
blooming  had  come  down  to  breakfast  looking  ten 
years  older;  so  he  had  said  to  himself: 

"  She  dazzled  me  last  night.  I  shall  see  her  as 
she  is  to-day." 

Being  an  early  riser  he  entered  the  cheerful  break 
fast-room  considerably  before  the  others,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  was  entranced  by  the  view  from  the  windows. 


PLAIN   TALK.  75 

The  severe  north-east  storm  had  expended  itself 
during  the  night,  and  its  fine,  sharp,  crystals  had 
changed  into  snow-flakes.  As  an  angry  man  after 
many  hard  cutting  words  relents  somewhat  and  speaks 
calmly  if  still  coldly,  so  nature,  that  had  been  sting- 
ingly  severe  the  evening  before,  was  now  quietly 
letting  fall  a  few  final  hints  of  the  harsh  mood  that 
was  passing  away.  Even  while  he  looked,  the  sun 
broke  through  a  rift  over  the  eastern  mountains  and 
lighted  up  the  landscape  as  with  genial  smiles.  It 
shone,  not  on  an  ordinary  and  prosaic  world,  but 
rather  one  that  had  been  touched  by  magic  during  the 
night  and  transformed  into  the  wonder-land  of  dreams. 

The  trees  that  in-the  dusk  of  the  previous  night 
had  writhed  and  groaned  and  struck  their  frozen 
branches  together  as  despairing  anguish  might  ges 
ticulate,  now  stood  serene,  and  decked  more  daintily 
than  June  would  robe  them.  Whiter  even  than  the 
pink-tinged  blossoms  of  May,  was  the  soft  wet  snow 
that  encased  every  twig,  limb,  and  spray.  The 
more  he  looked,  the  more  the  beauty  and  the  wonder 
of  the  scene  grew  upon  him.  The  sun  was  dispersing 
the  clouds  and  adding  the  element  of  splendor  to 
that  of  beauty.  It  became  one  of  the  supreme 
moments  of  his  life  when  in  the  vanishing  beauty 
of  an  earthly  scene  he  received  an  earnest  of  the 
more  perfect  world  beyond. 

"  With  the  exception  of  the  broad  dark  river," 
he  thought,  "  this  might  be  the  Millennial  morn, 
and  nature  standing  decked  in  her  spotless  ascension 
robes,  waiting  in  breathless  expectancy." 


76  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

But  his  musings  were  unexpectedly  interrupted, 
for  just  at  this  moment  Lottie  Marsden  put  her 
hand  lightly  on  his  arm  and  said : 

"  Cousin  Frank — pardon  me — Mr.  Hemstead, 
what  is  the  matter  ?  You  look  as  rapt  as  if  you  saw  a 
vision." 

He  turned  and  seemed  as  startled  as  if  he  had, 
for  standing  by  him  and  looking  inquiringly  into  his 
face  was  a  being  that,  with  her  brilliant  eyes  and 
exquisitely  clear  and  delicate  complexion,  seemed  as 
beautiful,  and  at  the  same  time  as  frail  and  ready  to 
vanish,  as  the  snow-wreaths  without. 

She  saw  the  strong  admiration  and  almost  won 
der  depicted  on  his  open  face,  though  she  seemed  so 
innocently  oblivious  of  it,  and  for  a  moment  left  him 
under  the  spell,  then  said  : 

"  Are  you  so  resentful  at  my  desertion  last  even 
ing  that  you  won't  speak  to  me  ?  " 

"  Look  there,"  he  replied,  and  he  pointed  to  the 
fairy  land  without. 

Lottie's  wonder  and  delight  were  almost  equal  to 
his  own,  for  she  had  never  witnessed  such  a  scene 
before. 

"  I  am  so  glad  I  came,"  she  said,  "  we  see  nothing 
like  this  in  the  city.  Look  at  those  snowy  moun 
tains.  How  vast  and  white  they  are  !  " 

"  And  look  at  that  little  tree  with  its  red  ber 
ries  gleaming  against  the  snowy  foil.  They  look 
like  those  ruby  ear-rings  against  the  whiteness  of 
your  neck." 

She   looked    at    him   quickly  and    humorously, 


PLAIN  TALK.  77 

asking,  "  Where  did  you  learn  the  art  of  compli 
menting?  " 

"  I  had  no  thought  of  trivial  compliment  in  the 
presence  of  a  scene  like  this/'  he  answered  gravely; 
"  I  was  awed  by  the  beauty  I  saw,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  Great  Artist  must  be  near.  I  wished  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  truth  that,  like  all  His  work, 
the  least  thing  is  perfect.  That  little  tree  with  its 
red  berries  is  beautiful  as  well  as  the  mountain.  I 
now  am  glad  too  that  you  came,  though  I  dreaded 
any  one's  coming  before,  and  the  necessity  of  return 
ing  to  commonplace  life.  But  suddenly,  and  as 
silently  as  one  of  those  snow-flakes,  you  appear,  and 
I  am  startled  to  find  you  in  keeping  with  the  scene 
instead  of  an  intrusion." 

"  And  do  I  seem  to  you  like  a  snow-flake — as 
pure  and  as  cold  ?"  she  asked,  bending  upon  him  her 
brilliant  eyes. 

"  Not  as  cold,  I  trust,  and  if  you  were  as  pure  you 
would  not  be  human.  But  your  beauty  seemed  to 
me  as  marvellous  as  that  of  the  scene  I  had  been 
wondering  at.  I  am  not  versed  in  society's  disguises, 
Miss  Marsden,  and  can  better  express  my  thoughts 
than  hide  them.  You  know  you  are  very  beautiful. 
Why  should  I  not  say  so  as  well  as  involuntarily 
express  the  fact  in  my  face  as  I  did  a  moment  ago, 
and  as  every  one  does,  I  suppose,  who  meets  you. 
There  is  nothing  brought  to  your  attention  more 
often,  and  more  pressed  upon  you.  It  must  be -so. 
Does  not  your  beauty  cause  you  much  anxiety  ?  " 

"  What   a   funny    question ! "    laughed    Lottie. 


78  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

"  Your  frankness  is  certainly  as  transparent  as  those 
snow-crystals  there.  I  cannot  say  that  it  does. 
Why  should  it,  even  granting  that  it  exists  independ 
ently  of  your  disordered  imagination?" 

"  It  exposes  you  to  a  temptation  very  hard  to 
resist.  Such  beauty  as  yours  should  be  but  the 
reflex  of  character.  I  once  saw,  in  an  art  gallery  of 
New  York,  a  marble  face  so  white,  pure,  and  sweet, 
that  it  has  ever  remained  in  my  memory  as  an 
emblem  of  spiritual  beauty.  Suppose  every  one  that 
came  in  should  touch  that  face,  and  some  with  coarse 
and  grimy  fingers,  what  a  smutched  and  tawdry 
look  it  would  soon  have.  You  cannot  help  the 
admiring  glances,  flattering  words,  and  the  homage 
that  ever  waits  on  beauty,  any  more  than  the  marble 
face  the  soiling  touch  of  any  Vandal  hand ;  but  you 
can  prevent  your  soul  from  being  stained  and 
smirched  with  vanity  and  pride." 

"  I  never  had  any  one  to  talk  to  me  in  this  way," 
said  Lottie,  looking  demurely  down.  "  Perhaps  I 
would  have  been  better  if  I  had.  I  fear  you  think 
me  very  vain  and  conceited." 

*'  I  should  think  it  very  strange  if  you  were  not 
somewhat  vain.  And  yet  you  do  not  act  as  if  you 
were." 

"  Supposing  I  am  vain.  What  difference  does  it 
make,  if  no  one  knows  it  ?  "  she  asked  abruptly. 

"  There  are  two  who  always  will  know  it." 

tc  Who  ?  " 

"  God  and  yourself.  And  by  and  by  all  masks 
must  be  dropped  and  all  the  world  see  us  as  we  are." 


PLAIN   TALK.  79 

"  Do  you  believe  that  ? "  she  asked,  a  little 
startled  at  the  thought. 

"  I  know  it,"  he  replied,  in  a  tone  of  quiet  confi 
dence  that  carries  more  conviction  than  loud  asser 
tion.  "  Moreover,  your  beauty  involves  a  heavy 
burden  of  responsibility." 

"  Really,  Mr.  Hemstead,  if  you  keep  on  you  will 
prove  beauty  a  great  misfortune,  whether  I  possess 
it  or  not." 

"  Far  from  it." 

"  Granting  for  sake  of  argument  your  premise, 
how  am  I  burdened  with  responsibility  ?  " 

"  Would  it  not  almost  break  your  heart,  if  your 
honorable  father  were  misappropriating  money  in 
trusted  to  his  care." 

"  Don't  suggest  such  a  thing." 

"Only  for  the  sake  of  illustration.  Suppose  he 
had  the  qualities  and  position  which  led  a  great  many 
to  place  their  means  in  his  hands  ;  would  that  not 
increase  his  responsibility?  " 

"  Yes,  if  he  accepted  such  trusts." 

"  Are  there  not  more  valuable  possessions  than 
dollars,  stocks,  and  bonds?  Every  one  is  more  or 
less  fascinated,  drawn,  and  won  by  beauty,  and  to 
the  beautiful,  the  most  sacred  thoughts  and  feelings 
of  the  heart  are  continually  intrusted.  History  and 
biography  show  that  beautiful  women,  if  true,  gentle, 
and  unselfish,  have  great  power  with  their  own  sex, 
and  almost  unbounded  influence  over  men.  Your 
power,  therefore,  is  subtle,  penetrating,  and  reaches 
the  inner  life,  the  very  warp  and  woof  of  character. 


'   t 
/ 


80  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

If  a  beautiful  statue  can  ennoble  and  refine,  a  beau 
tiful  woman  can  accomplish  infinitely  more.  She  can 
be  a  constant  inspiration,  a  suggestion  of  the  perfect 
life  beyond  and  an  earnest  of  it.  All  power  brings 
responsibility,  even  that  which  a  man  achieves  or 
buys  ;  but  surely,  if  one  receives  Heaven's  most  ex 
quisite  gifts,  bestowed  as  directly  as  this  marvellous 
beauty  without,  and  so  is  made  pre-eminent  in  power 
and  influence,  she  is  under  a  double  responsibility  to 
use  that  power  for  good.  That  a  woman  can  take  the 
royal  gift  of  her  own  beauty,  a  Divine  heritage,  one 
of  the  most  suggestive  relics  of  Eden  still  left  among 
us,  and  daily  sacrifice  it  on  the  poorest  and  meanest 
of  altars — her  own  vanity,  is  to  me  hard  to  under 
stand.  It  is  scarcely  respectable  heathenism.  But 
to  use  her  beauty  as  a  lure  is  far  worse.  Do  we 
condemn  wreckers,  who  place  false,  misleading  lights 
upon  a  dangerous  coast  ?  What  is  every  grace  of  a 
coquette,  but  a  false  light,  leading  often  to  more  sad 
and  hopeless  wreck  ?  " 

No  man  had  ever  told  Lottie  more  plainly  that 
she  was  beautiful,  than  Hemstead,  and  yet  she  dis 
liked  his  compliments  wofully.  Her  face  fairly  grew 
pale  under  his  words.  Had  he  learned  of  her  plot? 
Had  he  read  her  thoughts,  and  been  informed  of  her 
past  life  ?  Was  there  quiet  satire  and  denunciation 
under  this  seeming  frankness  ?  She  was  for  the  mo 
ment  perplexed  and  troubled.  Worse  still,  he  com 
pelled  her  to  see  these  things  in  a  new  light,  and  her 
conscience  echoed  his  words. 

But  her  first  impulse  was  to  learn  whether  he  was 


PLAIN   TALK.  8 1 

speaking  generally,  or  pointedly  at  her ;  so  she  asked, 
in  some  little  trepidation  : 

"  Has  any  naughty  girl  tried  to  treat  you  so  badly, 
that  you  speak  so  strongly?  " 

He  laughed  outright  at  this  question.  "  No  one 
has  had  a  chance,"  he  said;  "  and  I  do  not  think 
there  are  many  who  would  take  it.  Moreover,  I 
imagine  that  one  of  your  proud  belles  would  not  even 
condescend  to  flirt  with  a  poor  awkward  fellow  like 
me.  But  I  am  not  a  croaking  philosopher,  and  look 
on  the  bright  side  of  the  world.  It  has  always 
treated  me  quite  as  well  as  I  deserved.  I  often 
think  the  world  is  not  as  bad  as  described,  and  that 
it  would  be  better,  if  it  had  a  chance." 

"  Have  you  seen  much  of  it,  Mr.  Hemstead?  " 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  have.  I  have  read  and 
thought  about  it  far  more  than  I  have  seen.  On 
account  of  my  limited  means  and  student  life,  my 
excursions  have  been  few  and  far  between.  I  have 
already  proved  to  you  what  an  awkward  stranger  I 
am  to  society.  But  in  thought  and  fancy  I  have 
been  a  great  rambler,  and  like  to  picture  to  myself 
all  kinds  of  scenes,  past  and  present,  and  to  analyze 
all  kinds  of  character." 

"  I  hope  you  won't  analyze  mine,"  she  said,  look 
ing  at  him  rather  distrustfully.  "  I  would  not  like 
to  be  dissected  before  I  was  dead." 

"  I  wish  all  were  as  able  to  endure  analysis  as 
yourself,  Miss  Marsden.  In  any  case,  you  have  no 
reason  to  fear  a  severe  critic  in  me." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 
4 


82  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Because  you  have  been  so  lenient  toward  me. 
I  have  received  more  kindness  from  you,  a  stranger, 
than  my  own  kindred.'' 

"  You  are  very  grateful." 

"  Shakespeare  declares  ingratitude  a  '  marble- 
. hearted  fiend.' " 

"  You  evidently  are  not  '  marble-hearted.'  " 

"  Though  possibly  a  fiend.     Thank  you." 

"  I  wish  there  were  no  worse  to  fear." 

"  You  need  not  have  occasion  to  fe^.r  any." 

"  Well,  I  can't  say  that  I  do  very  much.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  better  for  me  if  I  did." 

"Why  so?" 

"  Then  I  would  be  more  afraid  to  do  wrong.  Miss 
Parton  cannot  do  wrong  with  any  comfort  at  all." 

"  Well,  that  would  be  a  queer  religion  which  con 
sisted  only  of  being  afraid  of  the  devil  and  his  imps." 

"  What  is  religion  ?  I  am  foolish  in  asking  such 
a  question  however,  for  I  suppose  it  would  take  you 
a  year  to  answer  it  and  they  will  all  be  down  to 
breakfast  in  a  few  moments." 

"  Oh  no,  I  can  answer  it  in  a  sentence.  True 
religion  is  worshipping  God  in  love  and  faith,  and 
obeying  Him." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  exclaimed  Lottie,  in  unfeigned 
astonishment.  . 

"  That  is  a  great  deal." 

"  Perhaps  it  is.  You  theologians  have  a  way  of 
preaching  awfully  long  and  difficult  sermons  from 
simple  texts.  But  I  never  got  as  simple  an  idea  of 
religion  as  that  from  our  minister." 


PLAIN   TALK.  83 

"  I  fear  you  think  I  have  been  preaching  for  the 
last  half  hour.  My  friends  often  laugh  at  me,  and 
say  that  I  literally  obey  the  Scripture,  and  am  '  in 
stant  in  season  and  out  of  season.'  Perhaps  I  can 
best  apologize  for  my  long  homilies  this  morning,  by 
explaining.  When  an  artist  is  in  his  best  mood,  he 
wishes  to  be  at  his  easel.  The  same  is  true  of  every 
one  who  does  something  con  amore.  When  I  saw 
the  transfigured  world  this  morning,  it  was  like  a 
glimpse  into  heaven,  and — " 

"And  a  naughty  little  sinner  came  in  just  at  that 
moment,  and  got  the  benefit  of  your  mood,"  inter 
rupted  Lottie.  "  Well,  I  have  listened  to  your  ser 
mon  and  understand  it,  and  that  is  more  than  I  can 
say  of  many  I  have  heard.  It  certainly  was  pointed, 
and  seemed  pointed  at  me,  and  I  have  heard  it  said 
that  it  is  proof  of  a  good  sermon  for  each  one  to  go 
away  feeling  that  he  has  been  distinctly  preached  at. 
But  permit  me  as  a  friend,  Mr.  Hemstead,  to  suggest 
that  this  will  not  answer  in  our  day.  I  fear  from  my 
little  foretaste,  that  people  will  not  be  able  to  sit 
comfortably  under  your  homilies,  and  unless  you 
intend  to  preach  out  in  the  back-woods,  you  must 
modify  your  style." 

"  That  is  where  I  do  intend  to  preach.  At  least 
upon  the  frontiers  of  our  great  West." 

"  Oh,  how  dismal !  "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  and  can 
you,  a  young,  and  I  suppose,  ambitious  man,  look 
forward  to  being  buried  alive,  as  it  were,  in  those 
remote  regions  ?  " 

"  I    assure   you    I  do  not  propose  to  be  buried 


84  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

alive  at  the  West,  or  spiritually  smothered,  as  you 
hinted,  in  a  fashionable  church  at  the  East.  I  think 
the  extreme  West,  where  States  and  society  are  form 
ing  with  such  marvellous  rapidity,  is  just  the  place 
for  a  young,  and  certainly  for  an  ambitious  man.  Is 
it  nothing  to  have  a  part  in  founding  and  shaping  an 
empire  ?  " 

"  You  admit  that  you  are  ambitious,  then." 

"  Yes." 

"Is  that  right?" 

"  I  think  so." 

"  Our  minister  inveighs  against  ambition,  as  if  it 
were  one  of  the  deadly  sins." 

"  He  means  the  ambition  that  is  all  for  self. 
That  is  as  wrong  and  contemptible  as  the  beauty 
that  is  miserable  without  a  looking-glass.  An  ardent 
desire  to  obtain  my  Divine  Master's  approval,  and  to 
be  worthy  of  it — to  be  successful  in  serving  a  noble 
cause — cannot  be  wrong." 

She  looked  at  his  earnest  face  and  eyes,  that 
seemed  to  glow  with  hidden  fire,  almost  wistfully ; 
and  said  with  a  tinge  of  sadness  : 

"You  will  feel  very  differently  I  fear,  twenty 
years  hence.  Enthusiasm  is  a  rare  thing  in  the  city, 
and  I  imagine  it  is  soon  quenched  everywhere." 

"  So  it  is  ;  it  needs  constant  rekindling." 

Just  then  Mrs.  Marchmont  and  Mr.  Dimmerly 
appeared,  and  soon  after  they  all  sat  down  to  a  late 
breakfast. 


A   SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.        85 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE. 

LOTTIE  assumed  an  unusual  degree  of  gayety 
during  the  early  part  of  the  meal,  but  her  flow 
of  spirits  seemed  unequal,  and  to  flag  toward  the  last. 
She  had  sudden  fits  of  abstraction,  during  which  her 
jetty  eyebrows  contracted  into  unwonted  frowns. 

Her  practical  joke  did  not  promise  as  well  as  on 
the  evening  before.  That  unexpected  half-hour's 
talk  had  shown  some  actions  in  a  new  light.  She 
did  not  mind  doing  wicked  things  that  had  a  spice 
of  hardihood  and  venturesomeness  in  them.  But  to 
do  what  had  been  made  to  appear  mean  and  dishon 
orable  was  another  thing,  and  she  was  provoked 
enough  at  Hemstead  for  having  unconsciously  given 
that  aspect  to  her  action  and  character,  and  still 
more  annoyed  and  perplexed,  that  her  conscience 
should  so  positively  side  with  him.  Thus  it  will  be 
seen  that  her  conscience  was  unawakened,  rather  than 
seared  and  deadened. 

As  she  came  to  know  Hemstead  better,  she  found 
that  he  was  different  from  what  she  had  expected. 
The  conventional  idea  of  a  theological  student  had 
dwelt  in  her  mind  ;  and  she  had  expected  to  find  a 
rather  narrow  and  spiritually  conceited  man,  full  of 


86  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

the  clerical  mannerisms  which  she  had  often  heard 
laughed  at.  But  she  saw  that  Hemstead's  awkward 
ness  would  wear  away,  through  familiarity  with 
society,  and  that  when  at  ease,  he  was  simple  and 
manly  in  manner.  She  also  perceived  that  this 
seclusion  from  the  world,  which  was  the  cause  of  his 
diffidence,  had  been  employed  in  training  and  richly 
storing  his  mind.  Moreover,  to  one  so  accustomed 
to  the  insincerity  of  society,  his  perfect  frankness  of 
speech  and  manner  was  a  novelty,  interesting,  if  not 
always  pleasing.  She  read  his  thoughts  as  she  would 
an  open  page,  and  saw  that  he  esteemed  her  as  a 
true,  sincere  girl,  kind  and  womanly,  and  that  he  had 
for  her  the  strongest  respect.  She  feared  that  when 
he  discovered  her  true  self,  he  would  scorn  her  to 
loathing.  Not  that  she  cared,  except  that  her  pride 
would  be  hurt.  But  as  she  was  more  proud  than 
vain,  she  feared  this  honest  man's  verdict. 

But  soon  her  old  reckless  self  triumphed.  "  Of 
course  what  I  am  doing  will  seem  awful  to  him," 
she  thought ;  "  I  knew  that  before  I  commenced. 
He  shall  not  preach  me  out  of  my  fun  in  one  half 
hour.  If  I  could  make  him  love  me  in  spite  of  what 
I  am,  it  would  be  the  greater  triumph.  After  all,  I 
am  only  acting  as  all  the  girls  in  my  set  do  when 
they  get  a  chance.  It's  not  as  bad  as  he  makes  out." 

Still  that  was  an  eventful  half  hour,  when  they 
looked  out  upon  a  transfigured  world  together ;  and 
while  she  saw  nature  in  her  rarest  and  purest  beauty, 
she  had  also  been  given  a  glimpse  into  the  more 
beautiful  world  of  truth,  where  God  dwells. 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.        8/ 

But  as  the  morning  advanced,  good  impulses  and 
better  feelings  and  thoughts  vanished,  even  as  the 
snow-wreaths  were  dropping  from  branch  and  spray, 
leaving  them  as  bare  and  unsightly  as  before.  By 
the  time  the  sleigh  drove  up  to  the  door  she  was  as 
bent  as  ever  upon  victimizing  the  "  Western  giant," 
as  the  conspirators  had  named  him.  She  was  her 
old,  decided,  resolute  self;  all  the  more  resolute, 
because  facing,  to  her,  a  new  hindrance — her  own 
conscience,  which  Hemstead  had  unwittingly  awak 
ened  ;  and  it  said  to  its  uncomfortable  possessor, 
some  rather  severe  things  that  day. 

If  Lottie  were  Bel  Parton,  she  would  have  been 
in  a  miserably  undecided  state.  *  But  it  was  her 
nature  to  carry  out  what  she  had  begun,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  she  had  begun  it,  and  she  was 
not  one  to  give  up  a  frolic  at  any  one's  scolding ;  not 
even  her  own. 

As  she  tripped  down  the  broad  stairs  in  a  rich 
cloak  trimmed  with  fur,  she  reminded  Hemstead 
of  some  rare  tropical  bird,  and  De  Forrest  indulged 
in  many  notes  of  admiration.  Lottie  received  these 
as  a  matter  of  course,  but  looked  at  the  student  with 
genuine  interest.  His  expression  seemed  to  satisfy 
her,  for  she  turned  away  to  hide  a  smile  that  meant 
mischief. 

It  was  quietly  arranged  that  Hemstead  should 
sit  beside,  her,  and  he  felicitated  himself  over  their 
artifice  as  if  it  were  rare  good  fortune. 

Though  the  sun  and  the  rising  breeze  had  shaken 
off  the  clustering  snow  to  a  great  extent,  the  ever- 


88  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

greens  still  bent  beneath  their  beautiful  burdens, 
some  straight  cedars  reminding  one  of  vigorous  age, 
where  snowy  hair  and  beard  alone  suggest  the  flight 
of  years. 

Though  the  face  of  nature  was  so  white,  it  was 
not  the  face  of  death.  There  was  a  sense  of  move 
ment  and  life  which  was  in  accord  with  their  own 
spirits  and  rapid  motion.  Snow-birds  fluttered  and 
twittered  in  weedy  thickets  by  the  way-side,  break 
fasting  on  the  seeds  that  fell  like  black  specks  upon 
the  snow.  The  bright  sunlight  had  lured  the  fox- 
squirrels  from  their  moss-lined  nests  in  hollow  trees, 
and  their  shrill  bark  was  sometimes  heard  above  the 
chime  of  the  bells* 

"There  goes  a  parson  crow,"  cried  Addie  March- 
mont.  "  How  black  and  solemn  he  looks  against  the 
snow  ! " 

"  Why  are  crows  called  parsons,  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 
asked  Lottie,  as  a  child  might. 

"  Indeed,  I  don't  know.  For  as  good  a  reason,  I 
suppose,  as  that  some  girls  are  called  witches." 

She  gave  him  a  quick  keen  look,  and  said,  "  I 
hope  you  mean  nothing  personal." 

"  I  should  never  charge  you  with  being  a  witch, 
Miss  Marsden,  but  I  might  with  witchery." 

"  A  distinction  without  a  difference,"  she  said, 
seeking  to  lead  him  on. 

"He  means,"  explained  De  Forrest,  "that  you 
might  be  bewitching  if  you  chose." 

"  Hush,  Julian,  you  leave  no  room  for  the  imagi 
nation,"  said  Lottie,  frowningly. 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       89 

"  Look  at  that  farm-yard,  Miss  Marsden,"  said 
Hemstead,  "  the  occupants  seem  as  glad  that  the 
storm  is  over  as  we  are.  What  pictures  of  placid 
content  these  ruminating  cows  are  under  that  sunny 
shed.  See  the  pranks  of  that  colt  which  the  boy  is 
trying  to  lead  to  water.  I  wish  I  were  on  his  back, 
with  the  prairie  before  me." 

"  Indeed,  are  you  so  anxious  to  escape  present 
company  ?  " 

"  Now  I  didn't  say  that.  But  we  have  passed  by, 
and  I  fear  you  did  not  see  the  pretty  rural  picture  to 
which  I  called  your  attention.  Were  I  an  artist  I 
would  know  where  to  make  a  sketch  to-day." 

"  I  think  you  will  find  that  Miss  Marsden's  taste 
differs  very  widely  from  yours,"  said  De  Forrest, 
"that  is,  if  you  give  us  to  understand  that  you  would 
seek  your  themes  in  a  barn-yard,  and  set  your  easel 
upon  a  muck-heap.  Though  your  pictures  might  not 
rank  high  they  would  still  be  very  rank." 

Even  Lottie  joined  slightly  in  the  general  and 
not  complimentary  laugh  at  Hemstead  which  followed 
this  thrust,  but  he,  with  heightened  color,  said : 

"  You  cannot  criticise  my  picture,  Mr.  De  Forrest, 
for  it  does  not  exist.  Therefore  I  must  conclude 
that  your  satire  is  directed  against  my  choice  of  place 
and  subjects." 

"  Yes,  as  with  the  offence  of  Denmark's  king, 
they  '  smell  to  heaven.'  ' 

"  I  appeal  to  you,  Miss  Marsden,  was  not  the 
scent  of  hay  and  the  breath  of  the  cattle  as  we  caught 
them  passing,  sweet  and  wholesome  ?  " 


90  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  cannot  deny  that  they  were." 

"  You  have  judicial  fairness  and  shall  be  umpire 
in  this  question.  And  now,  Mr.  De  Forrest,  there  is 
a  celebrated  and  greatly  admired  picture  in  a  certain 
gallery,  representing  a  scene  from  the  Roman  Satur 
nalia.  You  do  not  object  to  that,  with  its  classic  acces 
sories,  as  a  work  of  art  ? 

"  Not  at  all." 

"  And  yet  it  portrays  a  corruption  that  does  in 
truth  '  offend  heaven/  Your  muck-heap,  which  did 
not  enter  into  my  thought  at  all,  and  would  not  have 
been  in  my  picture,  could  I  paint  one,  would  have 
been  wholesome  in  comparison.  Have  I  made  a 
point,  Judge  Marsden?" 

"  I  think  you  have." 

"  Finally,  Mr.  De  Forrest,  what  are  we  to  do  with 
the  fact  that  some  of  the  greatest  painters  in  the 
world  have  employed  their  brushes  upon  just  such 
scenes  as  these,  which  perhaps  offend  your  nose  and 
taste  more  than  they  do  heaven,  and  pictures  such  as 
that  farm-yard  would  suggest,  adorn  the  best  galleries 
of  Europe  ?" 

"  What  artists  of  note  have  painted  barn-yard 
scenes?"  asked  De  Forrest,  in  some  confusion. 

"Well,  there  is  Herring,  the  famous  English 
artist,  for  one." 

"  '  Herring'  indeed.  You  are  evidently  telling  a 
fish  story,"  said  De  Forrest,  contemptuously. 

"No,  he  is  not,"  said  Lottie.  "Herring  is  a 
famous  painter,  I  am  told,  and  we  have  some  engrav 
ings  of  his  works." 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       Qt 

"And  I  have  read  somewhere,"  continued  Hem- 
stead,  "  that  his  painting  of  an  English  farm-yard  is 
the  most  celebrated  of  his  works.  Moreover,  Judge 
Marsden,  I  must  ask  of  you  another  decision  as  to 
the  evidence  in  this  case.  I  affirm  that  I  did  not 
call  your  attention  to  the  farm-yard  itself,  but  to  its 
occupants.  Is  not  that  true  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  deny  that  it  is." 

"  We  all  know  that  many  eminent  artists  have 
made  the  painting  of  animals  a  specialty,  and  among 
them  such  world-renowned  names  as  Landseer  and 
Rosa  Bonheur.  Moreover,  in  the  numerous  pictures 
of  the  Nativity  we  often  find  the  homely  details  of 
the  stable  introduced.  One  of  Rubens'  paintings  of 
this  sacred  and  favorite  subject,  which  hangs  in  the 
gallery  of  the  Louvre,  represents  two  oxen  feeding 
at  a  rack." 

"  Come,  Julian,  hand  over  your  sword.  It  won't 
do  for  you  or  any  one  to  sit  in  judgment  on  such 
painters  as  Mr.  Hemstead  has  named.  You  are 
fairly  beaten.  I  shall  admire  barn-yards  in  future, 
through  thick  and  thin." 

"  That  is  hardly  a  fair  conclusion  from  any  testi 
mony  of  mine,"  said  Hemstead,  "  a  barn-yard  may 
be  all  that  Mr.  De  Forrest  says  of  it,  but  I  am  sure 
you  will  always  find  pleasure  in  seeing  a  fine  frolic 
some  horse  or  a  group  of  patient  cattle.  The  homely 
accessories  may  and  sometimes  may  not,  add  to  the 
picture." 

"  How  do  you  come  to  know  so  much  about  pic 
tures  ?  Theology  has  nothing  to  do  with  art." 


92  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  dissent  from  Judge  Marsden's  decision  now, 
most  emphatically,"  replied  Hemstead.  "  Is  not 
true  art  fidelity  to  nature?  " 

"  Yes,  so  it  is  claimed." 

"  And  where  does  nature  come  from  ?  God  is 
the  Divine  Artist,  and  is  furnishing  themes  for  all 
other  artists.  God  is  the  author  of  landscapes, 
mountains,  rivers,  of  scenes  like  that  we  saw  this 
morning,  or  of  a  fine  face  and  a  noble  form,  as  truly 
as  of  a  chapter  in  the  Bible.  He  manifests  himself 
in  these  things.  Now,  fine  paintings,  statuary,  and 
music,  bring  out  the  hidden  meanings  of  nature,  and 
therefore  more  clearly  God's  thought.  Theology,  or 
knowledge  concerning  our  Creator,  is  a  science  to 
which  everything  can  minister,  and  surely  the  appre 
ciation  of  the  beautiful  should  be  learned  in  connec 
tion  with  the  Author  of  all  beauty." 

"  I  never  thought  of  God  in  that  light  before," 
said  Lottie.  "  He  has  always  seemed  like  one  watch 
ing  to  catch  me  at  something  wrong.  Our  solemn 
old  Sunday-school  teacher  used  to  say  to  us  children 
just  before  we  went  home,  '  Now  during  the  week 
whenever  you  are  tempted  to  do  anything  wrong, 
remember  the  text,  "  Thou,  God,  seest  me."  '  When 
wasn't  I  tempted  to  do  wrong  ?  and  I  had  for  a  long 
time  the  uncomfortable  feeling  that  two  great  eyes 
were  always  staring  at  me.  But  this  isn't  sleigh- 
riding  chit-chat,"  and  she  broke  into  a  merry  little 
trill  from  a  favorite  opera. 

Hemstead,  with  his  strong  love  of  the  beautiful, 
could  not  help  watching  her  with  deepening  interest. 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       93 

The  rapid  motion,  the  music  of  the  bells,  the  novel 
scenery  of  the  sun-lighted,  glittering  world  around 
her,  and  chief  of  all,  her  own  abounding  health  and 
animal  life,  combined  to  quicken  her  excitable 
nature,  into  the  keenest  enjoyment.  From  her  red 
lips  came  ripples  of  laughter,  trills  from  operas,  sallies 
of  fun,  that  kept  the  entire  party  from  the  thought 
of  heaviness,  and  to  honest-minded  Hemstead,  were 
the  evidences  of  a  happy,  innocent  heart. 

With  secret  exultation,  she  saw  how  rapidly  and 
unconsciously  the  unwary  student  was  passing  under 
the  spell  of  her  beauty  and  witchery. 

One  must  have  been  cursed  with  a  sluggish,  half- 
dead  body  and  a  torpid  soul,  had  he  not  responded 
to  the  influences  under  which  our  gay  party  spent 
the  next  few-  hours.  Innumerable  snow-flakes  had 
carried  down  from  the  air  every  particle  of  impurity, 
and  left  it  sweet  and  wholesome  enough  to  seem  the 
elixir  of  immortal  youth.  It  was  so  tempered  also, 
that  it  only  braced  and  stimulated.  The  raw,  pinch 
ing  coldness  of  the  previous  day  was  gone.  The 
sun,  undimmed  by  a  cloud,  shone  genially,  and  eaves 
facing  the  south  were  dripping,  the  drops  falling 
like  glittering  gems. 

Now  and  then  a  breeze  would  career  down  upon 
them,  and  catching  the  light  snow  from  the  adjacent 
fence,  would  cast  it  into  their  faces  as  a  mischievous 
school-boy  might." 

"  Stop  that !  "  cried  Lottie  to  one  of  these  sportive 
zephyrs.  "  Do  you  call  that  a  gust  of  wind  ?  I  declare 


94  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

it  was  a  viewless  sprite — or  a  party  of  snow  elves, 
playing  their  mad  pranks  upon  us." 

"  I  prefer  fairies  less  cold  and  ethereal/'  said  De 
Forrest,  with  a  meaning  look  at  the  speaker. 

"What  do  you  prefer,  Mr.  Hemstead?"  she 
asked.  "  But  where  we  people  of  the  world  speak  of 
fairies,  sprites,  and  nymphs,  I  suppose  you  permit 
yourself  to  think  only  of  angels." 

"  Were  it  so,"  he  replied,  "  I  should  still  be  of  the 
same  mind  as  Mr.  De  Forrest,  and  be  glad  that  you 
are  not  an  angel." 

"  Why  so  ?  " 

"  You  might  use  your  wings  and  leave  us.'' 

"  Were  I  one,  I  would  not  leave  you  after  that 
speech.  But  see  how  far  I  am  from  it.  I  weigh  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  pounds." 

"  I  wish  you  were  no  farther  off  than  that." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  It's  not  our  weight  in  avoirdupois  that  drags  us 
down.  But  I  am  not  going  to  preach  any  more  to-day. 
Listen  to  the  bells — how  they  echo  from  the  hill-side  ? " 

"  Yes,  Julian,"  listen  to  Bel,  "said  Lottie  to  De 
Forrest,  who  was  about  to  speak.  "  I'm  talking  to 
Mr.  Hemstead.  See  those  snow  crystals  on  my 
muff.  How  can  you  account  for  so  many  odd  and 
beautiful  shapes  ?  " 

"  To  me  all  the  countless  forms  in  nature,"  said 
Hemstead,  "  prove  an  infinite  mind  gratifying  itself. 
They  are  expressions  of  creative  thought." 

"  Nonsense  !  God  doesn't  bother  with  such  little 
things  as  these." 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       $$ 

"  We  do  not  know  what  seems  small  or  great  to 
Him.  The  microscope  reveals  as  much  in  one  direc 
tion  as  the  telescope  in  another,  and  the  common 
house-fly,  in  size,  seems  midway  in  animal  life." 

"  And  do  you  believe  that  the  Divine  hand  is 
employed  in  forming  such  trifles  as  these  ?  " 

"  The  Divine  will  is.  But  these  trifles  make  the 
avalanche  and  the  winter's  protection  for  next  year's 
harvest." 

"  What  is  that?  "  asked  Harcourt  from  the  front' 
seat,  where  he  was  driving. 

"  Do  you  know,"  cried  Lottie,  "  that  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  thinks  that  everything  we  see,  even  to  nature's 
smallest  trifles,  an  i  expression  of  the  Divine  creative 
thought.'  ' 

"  Is  that  scene  such  an  expression,"  asked  Har 
court,  with  a  sneering  laugh,  in  which  the  others 
joined. 

By  the  road-side  there  was  a  small  hovel,  at  the 
door  of  which  a  half-fed,  ill-conditioned  pig  was 
squealing.  When  they  were  just  opposite,  a  slat 
ternly,  carroty-headed  woman  opened  the  door,  and 
raised  her  foot  to  drive  the  clamorous  beast  away. 
Altogether,  it  was  as  squalid  and  repulsive  a  picture 
as  could  well  be  imagined. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Lottie,  looking  into  his  face  with 
twinkling  eyes,  "  was  that  sweet  pastoral  scene  an 
expression  of  creative  thought  ?  " 

"  The  woman  certainly  was  not,"  he  answered, 
reddening.  "  A  thought  may  be  greatly  perverted." 

"  Whatever  moral  qualities  may  be  asserted  of 


g6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

her  manners,  costume,  and  character,"  said  Harcourt, 
"  she  is  not  to  blame  for  the  cast  of  her  features  and 
the  color  of  her  hair.  I  scarcely  know  of  an  artist 
who  would  express  any  such  thought,  unless  he 
wished  to  satirize  humanity." 

"You  can  call  up  before  you  the  portrait  of  some 
beautiful  woman,  can  you  not,  Mr.  Harcourt?" 

"  Let  me  assist  you,"  cried  De  Forrest,  pulling 
from  his  inner  pocket  a  photograph  of  Lottie. 

"  Hush,  Julian.  I'm  sorry  you  do  not  appreciate 
this  grave  argument  more  ;  I'll  take  that  picture  from 
you,  if  you  don't  behave  better." 

"  Well,  I  have  a  picture  before  me  now,  that  sat 
isfies  me  fully,"  said  Mr.  Harcourt,  turning  to  Lottie 
with  a  smiling  bow. 

"  Now,  suppose  that  you  had  painted  just  such  a 
likeness  and  finished  it.  Suppose  I  should  come 
afterwards,  and  without  destroying  your  picture 
utterly,  should  blend  with  those  features  there,  the 
forbidding  aspect  of  the  woman  we  have  just  seen, 
would  you  not  say  that  your  thought  was  greatly 
perverted  ?" 

"  I  should  think  I  would." 

**  Well,  Mother  Eve  was  the  true  expression  of 
the  Divine  Artist's  creative  thought,  and  the  woman 
we  saw  was  the  perversion  of  it.  You  can  trace  no 
evil  thing  to  the  source  of  all  good.  Perfection  is 
not  the  author  of  imperfection." 

"  Who  does  the  perverting,  then  ?  "  asked  Lottie. 

"  Evil." 

"  I    don't    think   it   fair  that  one  face  and  form 


A    SLEIGH-AIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       97 

should  be  perverted  into  hideousness,  and  another 
left  with  something  of  the  first  perfection." 
" "  Evil  is  never  fair,  Miss  Marsden." 

"  But  is  it  only  evil  ?  I  have  heard  plain  children 
told  when  resenting  their  ugliness  that  it  was  wicked, 
for  they  were  just  as  God  made  them." 

"  Can  you  think  of  a  better  way  to  make  a  young 
girl  hate  God  than  to  tell  her  that  ?  " 

"  But  suppose  it's  true." 

"  I  am  sure  it  is  not.  Just  the  opposite  is  true. 
The  ugly  and  deformed  are  as  evil  has  marred  them, 
and  not  as  God  has  made  them.  By  seeking  the 
Divine  Artist's  aid  more  than  the  humanity's  first 
perfection  can  be  regained.  It  is  possible  for  even 
that  wretched  creature  we  saw  to  attain  an  outward 
loveliness  exceeding  that  of  any  woman  now  living." 

"  That  passes  beyond  the  limit  of  my  imagina 
tion,"  said  Harcourt. 

"  Absurd  !  "  muttered  De  Forrest. 

"  I  fear  you  are  not  orthodox,"  said  Bel. 

"  That  means  you  do  not  agree  with  me.  But 
please  do  not  think  that  because  I  am  a  minister  you 
must  talk  upon  subjects  that  are  rather  grave  and 
deep  for  a  sleighing  party." 

"  That's  right,  Cousin  Frank,"  said  Addie.  "  Dr. 
Beams  will  want  you  to  preach  for  him  next  Sunday. 
I  advise  you  to  reserve  your  thunder  till  that  occasion, 
when  you  may  come  out  as  strong  as  you  please." 

"  *  Chinese  thunder  '  at  best,"  whispered  Harcourt 
to  Addie ;  but  all  heard  him. 


98  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

Hemstead  bit  his  lip  and  said  nothing,  but  Lottie 
spoke  up  quickly: 

"  No  matter  about  the  '  thunder,'  Mr.  Harcourt. 
That  is  only  noise  under  any  circumstances.  But 
suppose  there  is  the  lightning  of  truth  in  what  Mr. 
Hemstead  says?  " 

"  And  suppose  there  is  not  ?  "  he  replied,  with  a 
shrug. 

Hemstead  gave  Lottie  a  quick,  pleased  look,  which 
Bel  and  De  Forrest  smilingly  noted,  and  the  conver 
sation  changed  to  lighter  topics. 

As  they  were  passing  through  a  small  hamlet 
some  miles  back  from  the  river,  a  bare-headed  man 
came  running  out  from  a  country  store  and  beckoned 
them  to  stop,  saying : 

"  We're  going  to  give  our  Dominie  a  donation 
party  to  night.  Perhaps  Mrs.  Marchmont  will  do 
somfin  for  us,  or  likely  you'll  all  like  to  drive  over 
and  help  the  young  folks  enjoy  themselves.'' 

"  Capital !  "  cried  Lottie  ;  "  I've  always  wanted  to 
attend  a  country  donation.  Do  you  think  we  can 
come,  Addie  ?  " 

"  Oh,  certainly,  if  you  wish,  but  I  fear  you  won't 
enjoy  it.  You  will  riot  meet  any  of  our  '  set '  there." 

"I  don't  wish  to  meet  them.  I  want  to  meet  the 
other  *  set '  and  have  a  frolic." 

*'  It  will  be  moonlight,  and  we  will  have  the  drive, 
which  will  be  the  best  part  of  it  you  will  find,"  said 
Harcourt.  "  Yes,  we  will  come." 

"  Them  folks  thinks  that  they's  made  of  different 
flesh  and  blood  from  the  other  '  set '  as  they  call  us, 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.       99 

and  that  pretty  young  woman  wants  to  come  as  she 
would  go  to  a  menagerie,"  muttered  the  man  as  he 
went  back  to  the  store.  "  No  matter,  let  'em  come, 
they  will  help  us  make  up  the  salary." 

"  Of  course,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  will-  enter  upon 
this  expedition  with  great  zeal,  as  it  will  be  to  the 
advantage  of  one  of  your  fraternity." 

"  I  think,  with  Mr.  Harcourt,  that  the  ride  will 
be  the  best  part  of  it." 

"  Oh,  for  shame  !  Can  it  be  true  that  two  of  even 
your  trade  can  never  agree?  " 

"  Long  ages  of  controversy  prove  that,"  said  Har 
court. 

"  I  think  your  profession   has  done  more  to  keep 
the  world  in  hot  water  than  ours,  Mr.  Harcourt." 
"  We  at  least  agree  among  ourselves." 
"  All  the  worse,  perhaps,  for  the  world." 
"  That's  rather  severe  if  you  refer  to  the  proverb 
*  When  rogues  fall  out,  honest  men  get  their  dues,'  " 
said  Lottie. 

"  I  supposed  we  were  talking  in  jest,  I  was." 
"  You  evidently  belong  to  the  church  militant, 
since  you  strike  back  so  hard  even  in  jest,"  said  Har 
court.  "  Very  well,  since  you  are  so  able  to  take  care 
of  yourself  I  shall  have  no  compunctions  in  regard  to 
your  fate." 

Hemstead  did  not  understand  this  remark,  but 
the  others  did,  and  significant  glances  were  exchanged. 
He  turned  inquiringly  to  Lottie,  feeling  that  in  a 
certain  sense  he  had  an  ally  in  her,  but  she  seemed 
looking  away  abstractedly  as  if  she  had  not  heeded 


IOO  FROM  JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

the  remark.  She  was  too  quick  to  be  caught  easily, 
and  the  conviction  grew  upon  him  that  while  the 
others  from  his  calling  and  difference  in  views  and 
tastes  had  a  natural  aversion,  she  was  inclined  to  be 
friendly.  What  was  better  still,  he  believed  her 
mind  was  unprejudiced  and  open  to  the  truth,  if  he 
could  get  chances  to  present  it  to  her.  And  yet  she 
puzzled  him  not  a  little  at  times,  as  now  for  instance, 
when  she  turned  and  said  : 

"  I  suppose  there  are  a  great  many  nice  young 
men  at  your  seminary." 

"  I  never  heard  them  called  '  nice  young  men,'  " 
he  replied,  looking  at  her  keenly. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon — good,  pious,  devotional 
young  men,  I  mean." 

"  All  ought  to  be  that ;  do  you  not  think  so  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  I  think  so,  since  they  are  to  become 
ministers." 

"  But  not  otherwise?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  that.  There's  a  hint  for  you, 
Julian." 

De  Forrest's  reply  was  a  contemptuous  shrug  and 
laugh.  It  would  be  anything  but  agreeable  to  him 
to  be  thought  "  good,  pious,  and  devotional  " — qual 
ities  not  in  demand  at  his  club,  nor  insisted  on  by 
Lottie,  and  entirely  repugnant  to  his  tastes. 

"  Do  they  all  intend  to  be  missionaries  as  well  as 
yourself?"  she  continued. 

"  Oh  no,  some  no  doubt  will  take  city  churches, 
and  marry  wealthy  wives." 

"  Would  that  be  wrong?  " 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  &0J?£.      IO1 

"  I  am  not  the  judge.  It's  a  matter  of  taste  and 
conscience." 

"  Would  you  not  marry  a  lady  of  wealth  ?  " 

"  I  would  marry  the  woman  I  loved — that  is,  if  I 
could  get  her." 

"  Well  added,"  said  De  Forrest. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  agree  with  you.  Every  man  had  bet 
ter  add  that." 

"  Indeed  they  had,"  said  Lottie,  with  a  mischiev 
ous  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"  There  is  always  a  chance  for  a  man  who  will 
never  take  '  no '  for  an  answer,"  said  De  Forrest  with 
a  light  laugh,  but  with  a  significant  glance  at  Lottie. 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  she  said,  lifting  her  eye 
brows  question ingly.  "  I  agree  with  Mr.  Hemstead. 
It's  a  matter  of  taste  and  conscience." 

"  Do  you  intend  to  be  a  missionary,  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  ?  "  asked  Bel  Parton. 

"  I  hope  so,"  he  replied,  quietly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Lottie,  "  just  think  of  it.  He  is  going 
away  out  to  the  jumping-off  place  at  the  West,  where 
he  will  have  the  border  ruffians  on  one  side  and  the 
scalping  Indians  on  the  other.  You  said  you  would 
marry  the  woman  you  loved,  if  you  could.  Do  you 
think  any  real  nice  girl  would  go  with  you  to  such  a 
horrible  place  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  If  the  one  I  want  won't 
venture,  I  can  go  alone." 

"  Do  you  think  she'll  go  ?  "  asked  Lottie  so  inno 
cently  that  the  others  had  no  slight  task  in  control 
ling  their  faces." 


.re-?';  «,.'   ';  ;  £$$Af   JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  Who  will  go?"  said  Hemstead  quickly. 

"  The  one  whom  you  said  you  wanted  to  ?  " 

"  Now  I'm  sure  I  did  not  mention  any  one,"  said 
Hemstead,  blushing  and  laughing. 

"Well,  you  did  not  exactly  speak  her  name." 

"  No,  I  should  think  not,  since  I  don't  know  it 
myself." 

"  How  provoking?"  pouted  Lottie.  "  I  thought 
we  were  going  to  have  a  nice  little  romance." 

"  It's  a  pity  I've  nothing  to  tell,  in  view  of  my 
sympathizing  audience,"  he  replied,  with  a  glance  at 
the  gigglers  on  the  other  seats. 

"But  I  have  been  told,"  said  Lottie,  "that  in 
emergencies,  committees  have  been  appointed  to 
select  wives  for  missionaries,  and  that  there  are 
excellent  women  who  are  willing  to  sacrifice  them 
selves  for  the  sake  of  the  cause." 

An  explosion  of  laughter  followed  these  words, 
but  she  looked  at  the  others  in  innocent  surprise. 

"That's  a  funny  speech  for  you  to  make  so 
gravely,"  said  Hemstead.  "  I  fear  you  are  quizzing 
me.  Your  missionary  lore  certainly  exceeds  mine  in 
regard  to  the  'committees.'  But  there  will  be  no 
emergency  in  my  case,  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  have 
any  woman,  excellent  or  otherwise,  sacrifice  herself 
for  me." 

"  I  have  certainly  heard  so,"  said  Lottie,  posi 
tively. 

"  I  fear  you  have  heard  more  to  the  prejudice  of 
missionaries  and  their  works,  than  aught  in  their 
favor,"  he  said  somewhat  gravely. 


A    SLEIGH-RIDE  AND   SOMETHING  MORE.     1 03 

"  But  I  am  willing  to  hear  the  other  side,"  she 
whispered  in  hrs  ear. 

"  Now  I  protest  against  that,"  said  De  Forrest. 

"  I'll  give  you  the  privilege  of  whispering  to  Bel," 
said  Lottie,  sweetly. 

"Oh,  thank  you,"  replied  De  Forrest  with  a 
shrug. 

"  You  can  also  help  me  out,"  she  continued,  as 
the  sleigh  stopped  at  Mrs.  Marchmont's  door. 

As  he  did  so  he  whispered  in  her  ear,  "  Capital, 
Lottie,  you  are  a  star  actress,  and  always  my  bright 
particular  star." 

"  Don't  be  sentimental,  Julian,"  was  her  only 
response. 

At  this  moment,  Lottie's  brother  Dan  fired  a 
snow-ball  that  carried  off  Mr.  Hemstead's  hat ;  at 
which  all  laughed,  and  expected  to  see  the  young 
theologian  assume  a  look  of  offended  dignity.  He 
disappointed  them  by  good-naturedly  springing  out 
after  his  hat,  and  was  soon  romping  with  the  boy  and 
Mrs.  Marchmont's  two  younger  children.  This  was 
too  tempting  to  Lottie,  who  joined  the  frolic  at  once. 

Hemstead  laughingly  allowed  himself  to  be  their 
victim,  and  skilfully  threw  great  snow-balls  so  as  just 
to  miss  them,  while  they  pelted  him  till  he  was 
white,  and,  as  if  utterly  defeated,  he  led  them  a 
breathless  chase  up  and  down  the  broad  path.  Their 
cries  and  laughter  brought  half  the  household  to  the 
doors  and  windows  to  watch  the  sport. 

De  Forrest  ventured  down  from  the  piazza.,  with 
the  thought  that  he  could  throw  a  spiteful  ball  or 


104  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

two  at  one  he  already  disliked  a  little,  as  well  as  de 
spised.  But  Hemstead  immediately  showed  what  a 
self-sacrificing  victim  he  was  to  Lottie  and  the  chil 
dren  ^by  almost  demolishing  De  Forrest  with  a  huge 
snow-ball  that  stung  his  ear  sharply,  got  down  his 
neck,  spoiling  his  collar,  and  necessitating  such  a 
toilet  that  he  was  late  for  dinner. 

His  plight  took  Lottie  out  of  the  field  also,  for 
she  sank  on  the  lower  step  of  the  piazza,  her  hand 
upon  her  side,  helpless  with  laughter. 

Hemstead  retreated  to  a  side  door,  where  he 
shook  himself  as  a  polar  bear  might,  and  escaped  to 
his  room. 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          1 05 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ANOTHER  SPELL  THAN  BEAUTY'S. 

DE  FORREST  tried  to  laugh  at  his  discomfit 
ure  when  he  appeared  at  the  dinner-table,  but 
he  was  evidently  annoyed  and  vexed  with  its  author. 

"  It  was  very  nice  of  you,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said 
Lottie,  "  to  permit  yourself  to  be  pelted  by  us.  You 
evidently  did  not  think  us  worthy  of  your  steel. 
But  I  fear  you  gave  Julian  a  strong  compliment." 

"  I  only  returned  one  of  his." 

"  But  he  did  not  hit  you." 

"  He  meant  to.  We  form  our  most  correct  judg 
ment  of  people  sometimes  from  what  they  intend, 
rather  than  what  they  do." 

"  Well,  I  thank  you  for  my  share  of  the  sport." 

"  And  I  thank  you  for  mine." 

"  What  occasion  have  you  to  thank  me,  when  I 
almost  put  your  eyes  out  with  snow?  " 

"  You  did  not  so  blind  them  but  that  I  could  see 
a  face  aglow  with  exercise ;  that  made  a  pleasing  con 
trast  to  the  cold  white  snow." 

"  Frank,  Frank,  you  will  make  Lottie  vain,"  said 
Mrs.  Marchmont.  "  I  did  not  know  that  compli 
menting  was  permitted  to  you." 

"  That  is  all  right,  sister,"   said   Mr.  Dimmerly 
5* 


106  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  That's  where  he  shows  his  good  blood  and  connec 
tion  with  an  old  family.  He  is  gallant  to  the  ladies. 
They  can't  get  that  out  of  him,  even  at  a  theological 
seminary.'' 

Hemstead's  blushing  confusion  increased  the 
laugh  at  this  speech. 

"  Oh,  mother,"  exclaimed  Addie,  "  we  are  all  going 
on  a  frolic  to-night.  You  know  that  poor,  forlorn, 
little  minister  at  Scrub  Oaks,  who  has  six  children, 
and  gets  but  six  hundred  a  year  ?  Well,  they  are 
going  to  give  him  a  donation  to-night,  so  a  dilapi 
dated  pillar  of  the  church  told  us.  We  were  invited 
to  come,  ,and  Lottie  wants  to  go." 

"  Very  well,  my  dear,  since  you  and  our  guests 
wish  it." 

"  Now,  auntie,  that's  very  sweet  of  you  to  answer 
so,"  said  Lottie.  "  I  want  to  see  the  queer,  awkward 
country  people  who  go  to  such  places.  They  amuse 
me  vastly;  don't  they  you,  Mr.  Hemstead?  " 

"  They  interest  me.'' 

"Oh,  it  wouldn't  be  proper  for  you  to  say 
*  amuse.'" 

"  Nor  would  it  be  exactly  true." 

"  Why,  Lottie,"  said  Addie,  "  you  know  that 
ministers  only  think  of  people  as  a  sad  lot  that  must 
be  saved." 

"  We'll  help  make  a  jolly  lot  there,  to-night," 
said  Lottie,  with  a  swift  glance  at  Hemstead's  con 
tracting  brows.  "  Moreover,  auntie,  I  want  to  see 
what  a  minister  that  lives  on  six  hundred  a  year 
looks  like.  We  give  our  pastor  ten  thousand." 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.  IO/ 

"  You  need  not  go  so  far  for  that  purpose,  Miss 
Marsden,"  said  Hemstead  quietly  ;  4<  that  is  all  I  shall 
get." 

"  What  !  "  she  exclaimed,  dropping  her  knife  and 
fork. 

"  That,  in  all  probability,  will  be  my  salary  at 
first.  It  may  be  but  five  hundred.'' 

"  Is  that  all  they  pay  you  for  going  out  among 
the  border  ruffians  ?  " 

"  That  is  the  average." 

"  I  wouldn't  go,"  she  said  indignantly. 

"  You  may  rest  assured  I  would  not,  for  the 
money." 

"  Frank  will  change  his  mind  before  spring,"  said 
his  aunt  ;  "  or  a  year  at  least  among  the  '  border  ruf 
fians  '  as  you  call  them,  will  cure  him,  and  he  will 
be  glad  to  take  a  nice  church  at  the  East." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that,  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  1  had  better  answer  by  my  actions," 
he  replied. 

"  But  I  can  see  from  the  expression  of  your  eyes 
and  mouth,  a  very  plain  answer  to  the  contrary. 
Mr.  Hemstead,  you  could  be  a  very  stubborn  man  if 
you  chose." 

"  I  hope  I  could  be  a  very  resolute  one." 

"  Yes,  so  we  explain  ourselves  when  we  will  have 
our  own  way.  I  think  Aunt  Marchmont's  suggestion 
a  very  good  one." 

"  If  we  go  to  the  donation  we  shall  have  to  take 
something,"  said  Bel. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  exclaimed  Addie,  "  I  am  told  all  sorts 


108  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

of  queer  things  are  brought.  Let  us  take  the  oddest 
and  most  outlandish  we  can  think  of.  Uncle,  there 
is  your  old  blue  dress-coat ;  we  will  take  that  for  the 
minister.  Wouldn't  he  look  comical  preaching  in  it. 
And  mother,  there  is  your  funny  low-necked  satin 
dress  that  you  wore  when  a  young  lady.  I  will  take 
that  for  his  wife." 

"  I  understand  everybody  brings  pies  to  a  dona 
tion,"  said  Harcourt.  '.'  I  shall  be  more  pious  than 
any  of  them,  and  bring  over  fifty  from  town  this 
afternoon.  I  will  buy  all  the  bake-shops  out,  in  my 
zeal,  enough  to  give  the  parson  and  all  his  people  the 
dyspepsia  for  a  month." 

"  If  he  lives  on  six  hundred,  nothing  could  give 
him  the  dyspepsia  save  his  own  sermons,  I  imagine," 
said  De  Forrest.  "  My  young  lady  friends  have 
half  filled  one  of  my  bureau  drawers  with  smoking- 
caps.  I  have  one  with  me,  and  will  give  it  to  the 
minister." 

"  You  vain  fellow,"  laughed  Lottie.  "  I  never 
gave  you  one." 

"  Rest  assured,  no  minister, — even  were  he  a 
minister  to  the  Court  of  St.  James — should  get  it,  if 
you  had."  . 

"What  will  you  take,  Mr.  Hemstead  ? "  asked 
Lottie,  noting  his  grave  face. 

"  I  shall  not  go." 

"  Why  not  ?  '  You  spoke  as  if  you  would,  this 
morning." 

"  I  cannot  go  under  the  circumstances." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Addie,  rather  sharply. 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          IOQ 

"  Could  we  take  such  gifts  to  a  gentleman  and 
lady,  Cousin  Addie  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  suppose  not,"  she  answered,  reddening. 

"  I  see  no  proof  that  this  clergyman  and  his  wife 
are  not,  in  the  fact  that  they  are  compelled  to  live  on 
six  hundred  a  year.  Besides,  I  have  too  much  respect 
for  the  calling." 

"  Don't  you  see,"  said  De  Forrest  to  Addie,  in  a 
loud  whisper,  "  '  Our  craft  is  in  danger.'  " 

"  Your  explanation  is  more  crafty  than  true,  Mr. 
De  Forrest,"  said  Hemstead,  looking  him  straight  in 
the  eyes. 

"  Come,"  cried  Lottie,  "  my  party  is  not  to  be 
broken  up.  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  need  not  look  so 
serious  or  take  the  matter  so  much  to  heart.  As 
you  declared  once  before  to-day,  we  were  only  '  talk 
ing  in  jest.'  You  cannot  think  we  would  willingly 
hurt  the  feelings  of  your  brother  clergyman.  Surely, 
if  you  thought  they  were  serious,  it  was  good  of 
you  to  stand  up  for  him.  We  will  all  give  money  : 
that  must  be  the  thing  the  poor  man  needs  most 
sorely." 

"  I  will  give  twenty-five  dollars  if  you  will,  Mr. 
Hemstead,"  said  De  Forrest,  with  a  malicious  twinkle 
in  his  eye. 

.  "  That's  liberal  of  you,  Julian.  That's  action  in 
the  right  direction,"  said  Lottie  ;  and  she  turned  to 
Hemstead,  expecting  a  prompt  response.  But  the 
moment  she  saw  his  face,  she  surmised  the  truth  and 
De  Forrest's  motive  in  making  the  offer,  and  what 
had  appeared  generous,  was  now  seen  to  be  the 


1 10  FROM   JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

reverse.  But  she  determined  that  Julian  should  give 
the  money,  nevertheless.  Still  she  did  not- at  once 
interfere,  but  watched  with  no  little  curiosity,  to  see 
how  Hemstead  would  extricate  himself. 

The  young  man  was  much  embarrassed.  He  had 
an  innate  horror  of  seeming  niggardly,  and  the  course 
he  had  taken  made  his  position  more  delicate.  But 
his  simplicity  and  truthfulness  came  to  his  aid,  and 
he  said  firmly,  although  with  a  crimson  face  : 

"  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  accept  your  generous  prop 
osition,  but  I  will  .give  in  accordance  with  my  ability. 
I  can  give  only  five  dollars." 

"  Mr.  Dimmerly  and  Mrs.  Marchmont  looked 
annoyed,  while  Addie  gave  utterance  to  an  audible 
titter,  Bel  laughed,  and  then  looked  as  if  she  had 
done  wrong. 

But  Lottie,  with  graceful  tact,  which  was  still 
only  good  acting,  said  : 

"  And  that  I  am  sure,  is  all  that  can  be  asked  of 
Mr.  Hemstead  or  of  any  one.  But  the  poor  man 
shall  not  lose  the  money,  Julian,  for  I  will  supply 
Mr.  Hemstead  with  what  is  lacking/' 

o 

"  Pardon   me,  Miss  Marsden,  I  cannot  take  it." 

"  Not  even  for  this  needy  minister  with  his  six 
children  ?" 

"  I  cannot  sacrifice  my  self-respect  for  any  on-e," 
he  said.  "  Why  cannot  Mr.  De  Forrest  give  what 
he  wishes,  without  imposing  a  condition  which  leaves 
it  doubtful  whether  he  is  to  give  at  all." 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  he  is  to  give,"  said  Lottie  promptly. 
"  I  take  your  offer,  Julian.  It's  delightful  to  have 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          Ill 

such  a  genuine  object  of  charity  as  a  minister  living 
on  six  hundred  a  year." 

This  was  spoken  very  innocently,  but  was  in 
reality  a  keen  thrust  at  Hemstead,  who  had  so 
recently  stated  his  prospective  income  at  that  sum. 
That  the  others  understood  it  as  such,  was  shown  by 
their  significant  glances,  as  they  rose  from  the  table. 

Hemstead  could  not  discover  from  Lottie's  face 
whether  she  meant  a  covert  allusion  to  himself  or  not. 

Harcourt  drove  over  to  town,  promising  to  be 
back  in  time.  The  other  young  people  said  that  the 
long  drive  had  made  them  drowsy,  and  retired  to 
their  rooms  for  a  nap.  Hemstead  went  to  the  parlor 
and  tried  to  read,  but  his  thoughts  wandered 
strangely.  The  beautiful  face  of  Lottie  Marsden 
haunted  him,  and  the  puzzling  contradictions  of  her 
words  and  manner,  kept  rising  in  his  mind  for  solu 
tion.  After  a  prolonged  reverie,  he  came  to  the 
conclusion  : 

"  I  have  left  nothing  ambiguous  about  myself.  If 
she  is  friendly  after  this,  she  knows  just  who  and 
what  I  am.  It's  plain  the  others  think  me  no  addi 
tion  to  their  company,  and  I'm  almost  sorry  I  ac 
cepted  aunt's  invitation.  However,  I  can  shorten 
the  visit  if  I  choose ;  "  and  he  turned  resolutely  to 
his  book. 

Instead  of  donning  her  wrapper,  as  did  Bel,  Lot 
tie  sat  down  before  the  fire,  and,  as  was  often  her 
custom,  commenced  half-talking  to  her  friend  and 
familiar,  and  half-thinking  aloud  to  herself. 

"  Well,  he   is  the  frankest  and  most   transparent 


112  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

man  I  ever  saw.  I  have  been  acquainted  with  him 
but  a  few  hours,  and  I  feel  that  I  know  him  better 
than  Julian,  with  whom  I  have  been  intimate  so 
many  years." 

"  He's  sincerely,  honestly,  good,  too,"  said  Bel. 
"  I  think  it's  too  bad,  Lottie,  that  you  all  treat  him 
so.  It's  really  wicked." 

"  Yes,"  said  Lottie,  meditatively.  "  It's  a  good 
deal  more  wicked  than  I  thought  it  would  be." 

"  Then  you  will  give  it  up." 

"  No  indeed.     I  haven't  said  that." 

"  How  can  you  do  it,  Lottie,  when  you  know  it 
is  wrong  ?  " 

"  I  knew  it  was  wrong  when  I  commenced.  I 
only  know  now  that  it  is  a  little  more  wrong.  Why 
should  I  give  up  my  fun  on  that  account  ?  I  might 
as  well  die  for  an  old  black  sheep,  as  a  speckled 
lamb." 

Bel  yawned  at  the  rather  peculiar  and  tragic 
ending  that  Lottie  suggested  for  herself,  and  was 
soon  dozing  on  a  lounge.  But  either  a  restless  spirit 
of  mischief,  or  a  disturbed  conscience,  prevented 
Lottie  from  following  her  example. 

It  would  at  times  seem  true  that,  when  en 
gaged  in  something  that  conscience  forbids,  the 
very  opposition  incites  and  leads  to  the  evil.  The 
conflict  between  inclination  and  the  sense  of  right 
creates  a  feverish  unrest,  in  which  one  cannot  settle 
down  to  ordinary  pursuits  and  duties.  If  principle 
holds  the  reins,  and  the  voice  of  conscience  is  clear 
and  authoritative,  the  disturbed  mental  and  moral 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          113 

state  will  end  in  the  firm  choice  of  duty,  and  conse 
quent  peace  and  rest.  But  if,  as  in  the  case  of  Lot 
tie  Marsden,  impulse  rules  in  the  place  of  principle, 
and  conscience  is  merely  like  a  half-dreaded,  reproach 
ful  face,  this  unrest  is  the  very  hour  and  opportunity 
for  temptation.  Some  escape  from  self  and  solitude 
must  be  found — some  immediate  excitement  must 
engross  the  thoughts,  and  the  very  phase  of  evil, 
against  which  conscience  is  vainly  protesting,  has  at 
the  same  time  the  most  dangerous  fascination. 

So  Lottie  ran  away  from  her  own  self-reproaches 
as  a  naughty  child  might  from  a  scolding  and 
was  soon  at  the  parlor  entrance  with  a  noiseless 
tread,  a  grace  of  motion,  and  a  motive  that  suggested 
the  lithe  panther  stealing  on  its  prey.  The  door  was 
ajar,  and  a  hasty  glance  revealed  that  the  object  of 
her  designs  was  alone.  Her  stealthy  manner  changed 
instantly,  and  she  sauntered  into  the  room  with  quiet 
indifference,  humming  an  air  from  Faust. 

"  Oh,  you  are  here,"  she  exclaimed,  as  if  suddenly 
becoming  aware  of  his  presence.  "  Why  do  you  not 
take  a  nap  like  the  others  ?  I  hope  you  are  not 
troubled  by  a  bad  conscience." 

"  What  suggested  a  bad  conscience,  Miss  Mars- 
den  ?" 

"Your  sleeplessness." 

"  I  am  glad  it  was  not  your  own.  Why  are  you 
not  taking  a  nap  ?  I  thought  you  started  for  one." 

"  So  I  did,  but  found  I  did  not  want  it.  But  you 
are  not  a  Yankee  that  you  must  answer  my^  question 


114  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

with  another.  What  are  you  reading  ?  Won't  you 
read  it  to  me?  " 

"  I  would  rather  not  read  this  book  to  you  ;  but 
I  will  any  other  that  you  wish." 

"  You  must  learn  human  nature  better,  Mr. 
Hemstead.  Don't  you  know  that  you  have  said 
just  enough  to  make  me  wish  that  book  and  no 
other  ?  What  is  it  about  ?  " 

"  I  feel  sure  that  it  will  have  no  interest  for  you. 
It  is  one  of  the  latest  infidel  attacks  upon  the 
Bible." 

"  Oh,  you  are  afraid  to  have  me  read  it." 

"  Yes ;  but  not  for  the  reasons  implied  in  your 
tone." 

"  Don't  you  see  that  you  are  taking  the  very 
course  to  awaken  my  curiosity,  and  to  make  me  wish 
to  hear  just  that  book  ?  If  you  had  said,  *  Certainly 
I'll  read  it  to  you,  but  you  won't  like  it,  for  it's  only 
a  dry,  heavy  book  upon  a  heavy  subject,'  I  would 
never  have  looked  into  it,  but  would  have  asked  for 
something  else." 

"  That  would  hardly  be  true,  Miss  Marsden. 
Though  I  regard  it  as  an  evil  and  dangerous  book, 
it  is  exceedingly  clever,  and  well  written,  and  it  is 
quite  popular  in  some  circles.  I  suppose  it  has  been 
sent  up  to  Aunt  Marchmont  with  other  new  books 
of  note." 

"  I  must  certainly  read  it,  since  you  won't  read  it 
to  me.  Forbid  a  child  to  do  a  thing,  you  know,  and 
you  have  given  the  strongest  motive  for  doing  just 
that  thing." 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN   BEAUTY'S.          11$ 

"  You  are  not  a  child,  Miss  Marsden." 

"  What  am  I,  then?" 

"  I  hardly  know  ;  but  you  are  capable  of  realizing 
one's  best  ideal,  almost." 

"  Almost !  thank  you." 

"  Perhaps  my  language  is  stronger  than  you 
realize.  The  woman  who  could  answer  to  my  ideal 
would  be  nearly  perfect." 

"  And  do  you  think  such  a  paragon  would  go  out 
among  the  border  ruffians  with  you  ?  " 

"  No,  nor  anywhere  else  with  me.  I  was  speak 
ing  of  my  ideal." 

"  You  do  not  expect  to  marry  your  ideal 
then  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  love  transfigures  the  one  we  love,  and 
that  this  is  the  only  way  we  can  ever  meet  our  ideal 
in  this  life.  But  sometimes  we  see  one  who  it  seems 
might  approach  even  the  ideal  of  our  unbiassed 
fancy." 

"  It  is  well  that  you  admire  these  exquisite  crea 
tures  at  a  distance,"  she  said,  dryly.  "  I  can't  see 
why  men  will  always  be  so  foolish  as  to  think  pretty 
women  are  good  women.  But  if  I  am  not  a  child 
why  may  I  not  read  that  book?  You  intimate  that 
it  will  not  shake  my  belief." 

" 1  do  not  think  it  would — at  least  I  hope  it 
would  not." 

"  You  are  not  sure." 

"  I'm  sure  it  will  not  shake  the  Bible.  Every  age 
has  teemed  with  infidel  books.  Yet  God's  Word 
stands  to-day  as  strong  and  serene  as  that  mountain 


Il6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

yonder  to  which  the  setting  sun  has  given  a  crown 
of  light." 

"  Your  figure  is  pretty,  but  unfortunate.  The 
sun  is  indeed  *  setting,'  and  soon  the  mountain  will 
lose  its  crown  of  light  and  vanish  in  darkness." 

"  But  does  it  vanish,"  he  asked  quickly,  *'  in  the 
transient  darkness  like  a  cloud  tipped  with  light  ? 
Such  a  cloud  is  a  fit  emblem  of  this  brilliant  book, 
and  of  multitudes  like  it  that  have  preceded,  but 
which,  like  lurid  vapors,  have  vanished  from  men's 
thought  and  memory.  Even  with  my  immature 
mind  I  can  detect  that  this  clever  work  is  but  an  airy 
castle,  soon  to  fall.  What  infidel  book  has  ever 
gained  or  kept  a  lasting  hold  upon  the  popular  heart  ? 
Let  the  darkness  swallow  up  the  mountain  there. 
If  we  go  where  it  is  at  midnight,  we  shall  find  it 
intact,  and  just  as  firm  as  when  the  sun  is  shining 
upon  it.  The  searching  light  of  every  day,  from  year 
to  year  and  age  to  age,  will  find  it  there  just  the 
same.  The  long  night  of  moral  darkness  which  cul 
minated  in  the  i5th  century,  though  it  hid  the 
Bible,  did  not  destroy  it.  Luther  at  last  found  and 
brought  it  out  into  the  broad  light  of  general  study 
and  criticism.  For  generations,  it  has  been  assailed 
on  every  side,  but  it  stands  in  the  calm  unchanging 
strength  that  yonder  mountain  would,  were  it  sur 
rounded  by  children  shooting  against  it  with  arrows. 
Believe  me — I  do  not  fear  for  the  Bible.  If  all  the 
light  of  human  knowledge  were  turned  upon  it.  in 
one  burning  focus,  it  would  only  reveal  more  clearly 
its  intrinsic  truth  ;  and  if  superstition,  as  it  has  in  the 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          1 1/ 

past,  or  infidelity,  as  was  the  case  in  France,  creates 
temporary  darkness,  the  moment  that,  in  the  light  of 
returning  reason,  men  look  for  the  Bible,  they  find  it 
like  a  great  solemn  mountain,  that  cannot  be  moved 
while  the  world  lasts,  just  where  God  has  placed  it." 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  don't  you  know  that  young 
gentlemen  do  not  talk  to  young  ladies  as  you  do 
to  me  ?  " 

"  You  know  very  well  that  I  am  not  a  society 
man." 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  complaining.  I  rather  like  to  be 
talked  to  as  if  I  had  -some  brains,  and  was  not  a 
doll.  If  you  are  so  sure  about  the  Bible,  why  do  you 
fear  to  have  me  read  arguments  against  it  ?" 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  about  you.  If  I  should  listen 
to  a  plausible  story  against  you,  without  knowing 
you  or  giving  you  a  fair  hearing,  I  might  come  to  be 
prejudiced — to  believe  you  very  unworthy,  when  the 
reverse  would  be  true.  So  the  minds  of  many,  from 
reading  books  of  this  nature,  and  not  giving  the  Bible 
a  fair  hearing,  become  poisoned  and  prejudiced." 

"  Then  why  do  you  read  it  ?  " 

"  For  the  same  reason  that  a  physician  would 
study  a  disease,  not  that  he  may  catch  it,  but 
understand  and  know  how  to  treat  it.  This"  book 
is  a  mental  and  moral  disease,  and  I  do  not  wish 
you  to  run  the  risk  of  catching  it,  though  I  do  not 
think  it  would  prove  fatal,  if  you  did.  Your  own 
heart  and  experience  would  probably  correct  the 
error  of  your  head.  Such  books  as  these  won't 
answer  in  times  of  illness  or  deep  trouble.  We  turn 


Il8  PROM   JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

from  them  as  instinctively  and  certainly  as  we  do 
from  noise,  glare,  and  gayety." 

The  mountain  without  was  now  in  the  shadow. 
The  early  twilight  of  the  December  evening  had 
darkened  the  wintry  landscape  ;  but  the  ruddy  glow 
of  the  hickory  fire  revealed  how  beautiful  Lottie's 
face  could  be,  when  composed  into  womanly  truth 
and  thoughtfulness. 

"  I  have  never  had  a  serious  sorrow  or  illness, 
and  I  wonder  what  I  would  do  if  I  had  ?  "  she  queried 
musingly,  as  these  sombre  events,  which  sooner  or 
later  must  come  into  every  life,  rose  up  before  her. 

"  I  know  well  what  you  will  do  when  they  come, 
as  come  they  will  to  us  all/'  said  Hemstead  gently. 
**  As  surely  as  you  would  cling  to"a  strong  arm  were 
you  sinking  in  deep  waters,  just  so  surely  you  will 
turn  to  the  Bible,  and  to  Him  who  said,  '  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.'  ' 

The  truth,  if  given  a  hearing,  is  ever  powerful — 
the  truths  of  our  own  sad  experience — the  answer 
ing  and  remedial  truth  of  God.  Unexpectedly  and 
unintentionally  on  her  part,  both  these  phases  of 
truth  had  gained  the  ear  of  Lottie  Marsden.  The 
sorrowful  and  suffering  days  of  the  future  threw 
back  their  shadows  upon  her,  and  her  heart  sank  at 
their  prospect ;  and  with  the  certainty  of  intuition 
she  recognized  the  answering  truth,  and  felt  that  she 
would  indeed  be  glad  to  cling  to  One  who  had  the 
right  and  power  to  utter  such  tender,  reassuring 
words  as  Hemstead  had  quoted. 

Of  all  spells,  that  of  truth  is  the  strongest.  Under 


ANOTHER   SPELL    THAN  BEAUTY'S.          1 19 

it  the  impulsive  girl  buried  her  face  in  her  hands  and, 
with  a  quick  sob,  cried : 

"  Oh,  that  I  were  better  !  " 

Then  springing  up,  she  gave  Hemstead  a  strange, 
earnest  look  through  her  tears,  as  if  she  would  read 
his  soul.  But  she  saw  only  honest  sympathy. 

He  was  about  to  speak  again,  but  she  abruptly 
left  the  room. 


I2O  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FINDING   ONE'S  LEVEL. 

LOTTIE  met  De  Forrest  on  the  stairs,  and  he 
was  about  to  apologize  for  his  long  sleep,  but 
she  rushed  by  him  like  a  summer  gust.  A  moment 
later  she  burst  into  her  room  and  startled  indolent 
Bel  out  of  her  last  luxurious  doze,  by  dropping  into 
a  chair  by  the  fire  and  indulging  in  what  girls  call 
a  "  good  cry." 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Bel,  anxiously. 

Lottie's  tears  were  the  only  answer. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  cried  Bel,  rising  hastily. 
"  Let  me  call  Auntie  or  Julian." 

"  If  you  call  either  you  are  no  friend  of  mine," 
said  Lottie,  springing  to  the  door,  lockrng  it,  and 
taking  the  key. 

"  Why  Lottie,  I  don't  understand — " 

"  There  is  no  need  that  you  should.  Nothing  is 
the  matter — only  I'm  blue — I've  been  thinking  of 
awful  things.  I  was  in  one  of  my  moods  this  after 
noon,  now  I'm  in  one  of  my  tenses." 

"  Unusually  intense,  I  should  think.  I  have  not 
seen  you  so  moved  since  Tom  Wellesly  threatened 
to  blow  out  his  brains  for  you." 

"  He  hadn't  any  to  blow  out,"  snapped  Lottie, 


FINDING  ONE'S  LEVEL.  121 

"  or  he  wouldn't  have  thought  of  doing  it  for  such  a 
girl  as  I  am." 

"  Well,"  sighed  Bel,  who  at  times  was  one  of  Job's 
comforters,  "  I've  heard  he  has  never  been  the  same 
since." 

"  I  hope  he  has  been  wiser,  then.  How  can  men 
be  such  stupid  owls  as  to  fall  in  love  with  me  !  Can't 
they  see  I'm  a  wicked  little  heathen?  " 

"That  is  just  the  kind  men  like,"  sneered  Bel, 
misanthropically.  "  You  expect  to  captivate  (and 
of  course  you  will)  this  sincere  and  saintly  young 
minister.  He  already  thinks  that  you  are  by  far  the 
best  of  our  party,  and  has  some  of  the  first  symptoms 
that  your  victims  usually  manifest." 

Lottie  sprang  up,  dashed  away  her  tears,  and 
commenced  restlessly  pacing  the  room. 

"Bother  on  the  men!"  she  exclaimed.  "Why 
will  they  be  so  silly !  The  world's  a  perfect  jumble, 
and  we  are  all  lunatics  and  fools,  crying  for  what  is 
not  good  for  us,  and  turning  our  backs  upon  what  is. 
I'm  disgusted  with  everybody,  and  myself  in  partic 
ular.  Now  if  this  great  overgrown  student  makes  a 
fool  of  himself,  like  the  others,  I  shall  lose  faith  in 
mankind,  and  I  know  there  is  nothing  to  hope  from 
woman-kind.'' 

"  I  should  think  you  were  having  a  mood  and  a 
tense  at  the  same  time  this  evening,"  said  Bel,  look 
ing  with  some  surprise  at  her  friend.  "  What  has 
stirred  you  up  so?  Have  you  and  Julian  had  a 
quarrel  ?  " 

"We  shall  have  plenty  more,  I  foresee,"  said 
6 


122  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Lottie,  seizing  on  the  suggestion  to  hide  the  truth. 
Bel  smiled  satirically.  All  these  harsh  words  were 
but  the  harmless  lightnings  of  a  summer  gust  that 
was  passing  away. 

"  It's  only  a  lover's  tiff,"  she  thought,  "and  now 
the  billing  and  cooing  are  to  come." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Bel,  soothingly,  "you  and  Julian 
will  soon  make  up,  and  then  you  and  all  the  world 
will  change  for  the  better." 

"  We  have  made  up,"  said  Lottie  faintly  rinding, 
like  many  another  sinner  in  this  line,  that  the  first  fib 
requires  the  second  to  cover  it  up. 

"  Well,  well,  get  over  your  mood  quickly,  for  the 
supper  bell  will  ring  in  a  moment,  and  you  are  not 
ready  to  come  down." 

What  emergency  of  life  can  obliterate  from  the 
mind  of  a  pretty  woman  the  necessity  of  a  toilet,  and 
to  Bel,  Lottie  seemed  to  come  to  her  senses  at  once 
as  she  sped  to  her  bureau  and  commenced  brushing 
her  rumpled  hair.  But  the  languid  maiden  was  quite 
startled  as  Lottie  wheeled  suddenly  upon  her,  declar 
ing,  while  she  brandished  the  hair-brush  in  the  most 
tragic  and  impressive  manner : 

"  If  that  Hemstead  makes  a  fool  of  himself  he 
may,  but  he  shall  do  it  with  his  eyes  open ;  I  will  not 
deceive  him  any  more." 

Thus  conscience,  that  had  been  skirmishing  all 
day,  appeared  to  gain  one  point  of  advantage,  and 
Lottie,  having  made  this  virtuous  resolve,  gained  in 
mental  sereneness,  while  the  mirror  that  reflected 
her  fair  face  helped  to  bring  back  her  complacency. 


FINDING  ONE'S  LEVEL.  123 

"  Bel,"  said  Lottie,  as  they  were  leaving  their 
room,  "  not  a  whisper  of  all  this  to  anyone,  as  you 
value  my  friendship." 

But  before  they  reached  the  supper-room,  her 
resolution  failed,  as  is  often  the  case  when  one  acts 
from  impulse  rather  than  principle.  She  found  that 
she  could  not  so  lightly  throw  away  Hemstead's 
good  opinion.  She  had  been  admired,  loved,  and 
flattered  to  her  heart's  content,  but  the  respect, 
esteem,  and  trust  of  a  sincere  true  man  formed  a 
new  offering,  and  it  was  so  attractive  that  she  could 
not  bring  herself  to  turn  from  it  at  once.  Then  her 
strong  pride  cast  its  weight  into  the  scale,  and  she 
thought : 

"  He  talks  to  me  and  treats  me  as  if  I  were  a 
woman  of  heart  and  mind,  and  I'm  going  down  to 
show  him  I'm  a  wicked  fool.  I  shall  not  do  it,  at 
least  not  now.  Little  fear  but  that  the  disagreeable 
truth  will  come  out  soon  enough." 

"  But  it  is  wrong  to  deceive  him,"  whispered 
conscience. 

"  Suppose  it  is,"  answered  the  wayward  will,  "  I 
am  all  wrong  myself  and  always  have  been." 

"You  promised  to  show  him  your  real  self,"  still 
urged  conscience. 

"Well,  I  will,  some  other  time." 

With  conscience  thwarted  and  unsatisfied,  serene- 
ness  vanished  again,  and  instead  of  being  reckless 
and  trivial  at  the  table,  as  she  intended,  she  was 
rather  silent,  and  a  trifle  sullen,  as  one  often  is  even 
when  vexed  with  one's  self. 


124  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

Hemstead  was  expecting  a  subdued  and  thought 
ful  young  lady  to  appear,  whose  pensive  manner 
would  indicate  a  nature  softened  and  receptive. 
While  her  bearing  was  not  what  he  anticipated,  it 
was  somewhat  akin,  and  showed,  he  thought,  that 
the  truth  was  not  without  effect.  , 

De  Forrest  was  still  more  puzzled ;  but  soon  con 
cluded  that  Lottie  was  provoked  that  he  had  slept 
so  long  instead  of  devoting  himself  to  her.  True, 
she  had  just  come  from  the  parlor,  where  he  found 
Hemstead  standing  by  the  window,  looking  out  into 
the  gloom,  but  she  had  found  him,  no  doubt,  so 
heavy  and  stupid,  that  she  had  rushed  to  her  room 
in  a  fit  of  vexation.  This  theory  was  entirely  recon 
cilable  with  his  vanity,  and  therefore  conclusive  ;  and 
he  tried  to  make  amends  by  excessive  gallantry, 
which  only  annoyed  Lottie.  This  he  ascribed  to  her 
resentment  for  his  neglect,  and  only  redoubled  his 
unwelcome  attentions. 

While  Hemstead's  heart  was  in  a  tumult  of  joy 
and  thankfulness  that  so  early  in  his  acquaintance, 
and  so  unexpectedly,  he  had  been  able  to  speak  to 
her  as  he  wished  and  with  such  seeming  effective 
ness,  he  had  the  good  taste  and  tact  to  indicate  by 
no  words  or  sign  that  anything  unusual  had  occurred 
between  them.  He  sought  to  draw  the  others,  and 
even  De  Forrest,  into  general  conversation,  so  that 
Lottie  might  be  left  more  to  herself. 

Writh  a  mingled  smile  and  frown,  she  recognized 
his  purpose,  and  with  a  reckless  laugh  in  her  own 
soul,  thought : 


FINDING  ONE'S  LEVEL.  1 25 

"  He  imagines  I  am  near  conversion,  when  I  never 
felt  so  wicked  before  in  my  life." 

But  catching  a  glimpse  of  Bel's  surprised  face,  and 
seeing  that  her  abstraction  was  noted  by  the  others, 
she  speedily  rallied,  and  assumed  the  manner  that* 
she  had  maintained  throughout  the  day. 

"  It  is  so  delightful  to  see  his  large  gray  eyes  turn 
toward  me  wistfully  and  trustingly,  that  I  cannot  un 
deceive  him  yet ;  "  and  so  conscience  was  dismissed, 
as  history  records  was  often  the  case  with  some  hon 
est  old  counsellor  in  a  foolish  and  reckless  court. 

The  prospective  sleigh-ride  and  donation  party 
were  the  prominent  themes,  and  they  hastened 
through  the  meal  that  they  might  start  early. 

Upon  this  occasion  De  Forrest  managed  to  get 
the  seat  by  Lottie,  in  his  eagerness  to  make  amends, 
and  Hemstead  sat  opposite  with  Bel.  As  far  as  he 
could  gather  in  the  uncertain  moonlight,  Hemstead 
thought  that  De  Forrest's  attentions  were  not  par 
ticularly  welcome,  and  though  he  scarcely  knew  why, 
was  glad.  He  would  probably  explain  by  saying  that 
De  Forrest  was  not  worthy  of  her. 

Lottie's  periods  of  depression  never  lasted  long, 
and  again  the  frosty  air  and  quick  motion  set  her  blood 
tingling  with  life.-  In  order  to  escape  De  Forrest's 
whispered  sentimentalities,  she  commenced  singing. 
Her  naturally  good  voice  had  been  somewhat  injured 
by  straining  at  difficult  music,  under  superficial 
instruction,  instead  of  thorough  training  for  it,  but 
within  a  moderate  compass  and  in  simple  music,  was 
sweet  and  strong. 


126  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

De  Forrest  was  enthusiastic  in  his  encores  of 
selections  that  were  beyond  her  abilities.  Though 
most  of  the  airs  were  unfamiliar  to  Hemstead,  he  was 
satisfied  that  they  were  incorrect,  and  certain  that 
"the  music  was  not  over  good.  Therefore  he  was 
silent.  This  piqued  Lottie,  for  one  of  her  purposes 
in  the  choice  of  what  she  sang,  was  to  impress  him, 
from  the  barbarous  West,  with  the  idea  of  her  supe 
rior  culture.  At  last  she  said: 

"  I  fear  you  do  not  like  operatic  and  classical 
music  very  much,  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 

"  We  do  not  often  hear  such  music  very  perfectly 
rendered,  in  our  part  of  the  West.  There  are  airs 
from  the  opera  that  are  very  pretty,"  and  he  suggested 
one  that  was  simple. 

The  truth  began  to  dawn  on  the  quick-witted 
girl,  but  De  Forrest  said,  patronizingly : 

"  It  requires  a  cultivated  taste  to  appreciate  such 
music  as  you  were  singing,  Miss  Lottie." 

"  It  is  not  with  the  music  probably,  but  my  ren 
dering  of  it,  that  Mr.  Hemstead  finds  fault." 

"  Two  of  the  airs  were  new  'to  me,  and  the  other 
I  have  heard  but  seldom,"  said  Hemstead  evasively. 

"  How  about  that  one  ?  "  asked  De  Forrest. 

"  Well,  in  sincerity  then,  I  think  Miss  Marsden 
does  herself  injustice  by  attempting  music  that  would 
tax  the  powers  of  a  prima  donna." 

"  The  boor !  "  whispered  De  Forrest  to  Lottie. 

After  a  moment  she  said  firmly,  "Mr.  Hemstead 
has  only  said  plainly  what  you  thought,  Julian." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Lottie — "  he  began  to  protest. 


FINDING   ONE'S  LEVEL  I2/ 

"  I'm  not  a  fool,"  she  continued,  "  so  please  don't 
waste  your  breath.  You  have  heard  all  the  prima 
donnas,  and  know  how  ridiculously  far  beneath  them 
I  fall,  when  I  try  to  sing  their  music.  I  think  you 
might  have  told  me.  It  would  have  been  truer  kind 
ness  than  your  hollow  applause.  Why  our  teachers 
make  us  the  laughing-stock  of  society,  by  keeping 
us  upon  these  absurd  attempts  at  music  beyond  us, 
to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else,  is  something 
that  I  can't  understand.  My  ear  is  not  over  nice, 
but  I  have  always  had  a  suspicion  that  I  was  execu 
ting  in  the  sense  of  murder,  the  difficult  arias  that 
the  old  weazened-faced  Italian  professor  kept  me  at 
till  brother  Dan  said  in  truth,  that  I  was  turning 
into  a  screech-owl.  But  no  one,  save  he  and  Mr. 
Hemstead,  has  been  honest  enough  to  tell  me  the 
truth.  Thus,  on  many  occasions,  I  have  taxed  the 
politeness  of  people  to  the  utmost,  no  doubt,  and 
been  the  cause  of  innumerable  complimentary  fibs, 
like  those  you  have  just  been  guilty  of,  Julian.  Per 
haps,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  think  a  style  of  music  like 
this  more  suited  to  my  powers  ;."  and  she  struck  into 
a  well-known  plantation  song. 

"  No,"  said  he,  laughing,  "  I  think  you  do  your 
self  still  greater  injustice." 

"  You  probably  think  I  cannot  sing  at  all." 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  think  you  have  ah  unusually 
good  voice.  I  wish  you  would  sing  that  air  that  you 
were  humming  when  you  came  into  the  parlor  this 
afternoon.  I  liked  that,  and  imagine  it  is  suited  to 
your  voice." 


128  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  What  was  it  ?  Oh,  I  remember.  An  air  from 
Faust,  that  Marguerite  sings  at  her  spinning-wheel. 
I  think  I  can  give  that  pretty  decently." 

She  sang  it  sweetly,  with  taste  and  some  power. 
Hemstead's  encore  was  hearty,  and  she  knew  it  was 
sincere. 

"  Now  that  you  have  done  me  such  good  service," 
she  said  laughing,  and  shown  that  mediocrity  is  my 
musical  position,  let  us  have  some  old-fashioned  bal 
lads,  and  all  sing  them  together  in  sleigh-riding  style." 

**  Pardon  me,  Miss  Marsden,  I  assign  you  to  me 
diocrity  in  nothing." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  you^ — my  own  abilities  place  me 
there.  But  come,  each  one  sing  ;  "  and  she  com 
menced  a  ballad,  well  known  to  the  others,  but  not 
to  him. 

It  sounded  very  well  indeed,  only  Harcourt's  bass 
was  much  too  light  for  the  other  voices. 

"  Why  don't  you  sing  ? "  asked  Lottie  of 
Hemstead. 

"  I  do  not  know  the  air  or  words." 

"  Shall  we  try  Old  Hundred  ?  "  asked  De  For 
rest.  "  Ahem  !  The  long  metre  doxology. 

"  '  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow.'  " 

Addie  and  Harcourt  joined  in  laughingly.  Bel 
commenced  with  them,  but  stopped  when  she  saw 
that  Lottie  did  not  sing. 

"  Do  you  believe  that  *  all  blessings  flow  '  from 
God  ?  "  asked  Hemstead  of  De  Forrest. 


FINDING   ONE'S  LEVEL.  I  29 

"  I  suppose  so,  according  to  Old  Hundred,"  he 
said  lightly. 

"  You  don't  '  suppose  so '  at  all,  Julian.  You 
know  it,  as  we  all  do,  however  we  may  act,"  said 
Lottie  with  emphasis. 

"  With  such  a  belief,  I  would  at  least  treat  Him 
with  respect/'  said  Hemstead  quietly.  "  I  should 
be  sorry  to  be  under  deep  and  continued  obligations 
to  One  toward  whom  I  failed  in  ordinary  courtesy." 

"  I  knew  it  was  wrong,"  muttered  Bel,  "  but — " 

"  I  have  no  such  belief,"  said  Harcourt,  "  so  your 
sharp  homily  does  not  apply  to  me. 

"  Where  do  your  blessings  come  from?"  asked 
Hemstead. 

"  Well,  those  I  don't  get  out  of  my  clients,  from 
where  this  snow  does — the  laws  and  forces  of  nature." 

"Your  faith  is  like  the  snow,  I  think,  very 
cold." 

"If  it's  cold  in  winter,  it's  warm  in  summer," 
retorted  he,  flippantly ;  and  Addie  giggled  approv 
ingly,  for  the  reason  that  it  sounded  flippant  and 
smart. 

They  had  now  reached  the  hamlet  of  Scrub 
Oaks,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  small  house  that 
seemed  bursting  with  light  and  noise.  Whenever 
the  door  opened  it  appeared  to  fly  open  from  a 
pressure  within. 

De  Forrest  acted  as  escort  to  the  ladies,  while 
Hemstead  accompanied  Harcourt  in  his  effort  to  find 
a  sheltered  place  for  the  horses.  This  pleased  the 
young  lawyer,  and  he  said,  good-naturedly  • 


130  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Don't  think,  Mr.  Hemstead,  that  I  do  not 
.respect  your  honest  convictions,  and  I  meant  no  slur 
upon  them.  You  take  things  too  seriously." 

"  I  suppose  we  all  ought  to  make  more  allow 
ance  for  what  is  said  in  mere  sport  and  repartee," 
said  Hemstead.  "  But  what  to  you  is  law  and  force, 
is  to  me  a  personal  God  and  Friend.  You  know  that 
there  are  some  names — like  that  of  mother  and  wife — 
that  are  too  sacred  for  jest." 

"  Thus  people  misjudge  and  misunderstand  each 
other,  simply  because  they  see  things  from  different 
points  of  view,"  replied  Harcourt.  "  De  Forrest 
provokes  me,  however.  He  has  no  doubts  worthy 
of  the  name,  for  he  reads  nothing  save  the  sporting 
news  and  fashionable  literature  of  the  day,  and  yet 
he  likes  to  give  the  impression  that  he  is  in  with  us, 
who  read  books  and  think." 

"  If  you  will  only  read  fairly,  Mr.  Harcourt,  I 
have  no  fears  but  that  in  time  you  will  think  rightly. 
An  honest  jury  must  hear  both  sides  and  have  no 
prejudices." 

The  young  men  now  sought  the  rest  of  the  party, 
who  had  squeezed  their  way  into  the  little  parson 
age  that  seemed  so  replete  with  life  and  bustle,  that 
it  appeared  like  a  social  bomb-shell,  with  effervescing 
human  nature  as  an  explosive  material,  and  might 
burst  into  fragments  any  moment. 


THE   OTHER   SET.  131 


CHAPTER   IX. 

"THE   OTHER  SET." 

r  I  ^HE  minister  and  his  wife  were  scarcely  host  and 
JL  hostess  on  this  occasion,  as  a  self-appointed 
committee  of  ladies  had  taken  upon  themselves  the 
duty,  but,  like  all  corporations,  this  committee  had 
no  soul  and  a  very  indefinite' body.  No  one  knew 
just  who  they  were,  or  where  to  find  them,  and  some 
of  the  members,  in  the  bewilderment  of  unaccus 
tomed  official  position  and  honors,  seemed  to  have 
lost  themselves,  and  bustled  all  over  the  house  about 
as  aimlessly  as  decapitated  hens.  The  more  staid 
and  practical  sisters  of  the  committee  were  down  in 
the  kitchen,  breathlessly  setting  tables  which  were 
almost  as  speedily  cleared,  by  people  whose  appe 
tites  were  as  keen  as  the  winter  night  without. 

"I  do  declare — "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Gubling,  as 
one  devastating  tableful  rose  lingeringly  from  the 
repast  and  another  flock  began  to  gather  in  hungry 
expectancy  at  the  door — "  I  do  declare,  I'm  near 
beat  out.  Is  this  a  starvin'  community  ?  At  this 
rate  they'll  eat  up  all  there  is  in  the  house,  and  the 
minister  and  his  wife  and  babies  into  the  bargain." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Rhamm,  conveying  the  last 
bit  of  corned  beef  which  had  been  reluctantly  left 


132  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

upon  the  plate  as  "  manners,"  to  a  rather  capacious 
mouth,  "  if  they  would  eat  up  some  of  the  babies  it 
wouldn't  be  so  bad.  I  don't  see  why  poor  ministers 
will  have  so  many  babies." 

"  The  Lord  takes  care  of  'em.  We  don't,"  sug 
gested  Mrs.  Gubling. 

"  We  all  do  our  part  I  'spose.  The  worst  of  it  is, 
that  it  makes  it  oncomfortable  for  a  church  to  give  a 
small  salary." 

"  I  wish  our  church  was  more  uncomfortable 
then.  It's  a  shame  we  give  Mr.  Dlimm  only  six  hun 
dred.  But  come,  if  we  don't  git  another  table  set 
they'll  eat  us  up." 

*'  I'd  like  to  see  'em,"  said  Mrs.  Rhamm,  with  a 
disdainful  sniff. 

"  Well,  you  be  a  bit  old  and  tough,"  chuckled 
Mrs.  Gubling. 

With  the  solace  of  this  sally,  which  seemed  true, 
if  not  true  wit,  these  hard-featured  mothers  in  Israel 
set  about  their  tasks  with  the  deftness  that  long 
experience  gives. 

At  the  time  De  Forrest  conveyed  the  ladies  into 
the  hall,  the  upstairs  members  of  the  committees  were 
buzzing  around  somewhere  else,  for  there  was  no  one 
to  receive  them.  They  were  gradually  hustled  or 
carried  into  the  parlor  or  main  room,  and  here  Hem- 
stead  and  Harcourt  found  them  in  characteristic 
conditions.  Addie's  and  De  Forrest's  elegant  noses 
were  decidedly  retrousst ;  Bel  appeared  both  dis 
gusted  and  frightened,  while  Lottie's  face  wore  an 
expression  of  intense  and  amused  curiosity.  She  was 


THE   OTHER   SET.  *        133 

seeing  "  the  other  set  "  to  her  heart's  content,  and 
all  was  as  new  and  strange  as  if  she  had  visited  an 
other  land. 

Harcourt  joined  Addie,  and  they  commenced 
whispering  satirical  criticisms  on  the  remarks  and 
manners  of  those  around.  Hemstead's  interest  mainly 
centred  in  watching  Lottie,  and  in  noting  the  effect 
of  her  contact  with  plain  and  uncultured  people. 
He  was  glad  he  did  not  see  the  repulsion  of  a  little 
mind  and  a  narrow  nature,  as  was  the  case  with  most 
of  the  others.  Though  it  was  evident  that  she  had 
no  sympathy  with  them,  nor  for  them,  there  was  in 
telligent  interest  and  wide-awake  curiosity.  While 
the  others  were  encasing  themselves  in  exclusive 
pride,  she  was  eager  to  investigate  and  get  en  rapport 
with  this  new  phase  of  humanity.  But  trammelled 
by  her  city  ideas,  she  felt  that  she  could  not  speak 
to  any  one  without  the  formality  of  an  introduction. 
But  the  ice  was  broken  for  her  unexpectedly.  Feel 
ing  her  dress  pulled,  she  turned  and  found  a  very 
stout  old  lady  sitting  near  her,  who  asked  in  a  loud 
whisper : 

"  Been  down  to  supper  yet  ?  " 
"  No,"  said  Lottie,  "  I  don't  wish  any." 
"  I  do,  but  I'm  afeard  I  won't  get  none.     You 
see   I'm  big  and  clumsy  any  way,  and  now  I'm  so 
lame  with  the  rheumatiz,  that  I  kin  hardly  move." 

u  It's  too  bad,"  said  Lottie  pathetically,  but  with 
a  swift  comical  glance  at  the  others. 

"  Yes,  it's  kinder  orful  to  be  so  helpless,"  said  the 
old  woman  with  a  complacent  sigh,  delighted  at  hav- 


134      *  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ing  a  sympathetic  auditor.  I'm  dreadfully  afeard  I 
won't  git  no  supper.  I'm  like  the  withered  man  at 
the  pool  of  Bethesdy.  Whenever  they  are  ready  for 
anutherbatch  '  while  I'm  a  comin'  another  steppeth 
down  before  me.'  " 

"  Well,  you're  not  very  much  withered,  that's  one 
comfort  to  be  thankful  for,"  said  Lottie. 

"  I'd  like  to  be  thankful  for  my  supper,  if  I  could 
ony  git  a  chance,"  persisted  the  old  woman. 

"  You  shall  have  a  chance.  When  is  the  pool 
troubled  ?  When  shall  we  put  you  in  ?  " 

"  There  !  now  is  the  time,"  said  her  new  acquaint 
ance,  dropping  her  affected  and  pious  tone,  and 
speaking  with  sharp  eagerness.  "  See,  one  batch  is 
comin'  up,  and  'nuther  is  going  down." 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  will  you  assist  me  in  escorting 
this  old  lady  to  the  supper-table  ?  " 

Hemstead's  face  was  aglow  with  approval,  and  he 
instantly  complied,  while  the  others,  understanding 
Lottie  better,  were  convulsed  with  laughter. 

It  was  no  easy  thing  for  them  unitedly  to  manage 
the  hobbling  mountain  of  flesh.  When  they  came 
to  the  steep,  narrow  stairway,  matters  were  still  more 
serious. 

"  You  shall  go  first,"  whispered  Lottie  to  Hem- 
stead,  "  for  if  she  should  fall  on  me — good-by,  Lottie 
Marsden," 

Hemstead  patiently,  carefully,  and  with  the 
utmost  deference,  assisted  the  helpless  creature 
down  the  stairs. 


THE    OTHER   SET.  135 

"  You're  as  polite  to  her  as  if  she  were  a  duchess," 
said  Lottie,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  She  is  more  than  a  duchess.  She  is  a  woman," 
he  replied. 

"  Lottie  gave  him  a  quick,  pleased  look,  but  said, 
"  Such  old-fashioned  chivalry  is  out  of  date,  Mr. 
Hemstead." 

"  He's  right,  miss,"  said  the  old  woman,  sharply. 
"  I'm  not  Dutch." 

Lottie  dropped  behind  to  hide  her  merriment  at 
this  speech,  and  Hemstead  appeared,  with  his  charge 
clinging  to  his  arm,  at  the  kitchen  door,  which  her 
ample  form  nearly  filled. 

"  My  sakes  o'  lives  !  Auntie  Lammer,  how  did 
you  get  down  here  ?"  said  Mrs.  Gubling.  "  We 
hain't  ready  for  you  yet." 

"  No  matter,"  said  Mrs.  Lammer,  "  I  thank  the 
marcies  I've  got  down  safe,  and  I'm  goin'  to  stay 
till  I  git  my  supper." 

"Can  I  help  you?"  asked  Lottie,  glancing 
curiously  around  the  room. 

They  looked  with  even  more  curiosity  at  her  ; 
and  a  strange  contrast  she  made,  in  her  rich  and 
tasteful  costume  and  rare  beauty,  with  those  plain, 
middle-aged,  hard-working  women,  and  the  small, 
dingy  room. 

For  a  moment  they  stared  at  her  without  reply, 
then  gave  each  other  a  few  suggestive  nudges ;  and 
Mrs.  Rhamm  was  about  to  speak  rather  slightingly, 
when  good-natured  Mrs.  Gubling  said  : 

"  You   are  very  kind,  miss,  but  you   don't   look 


136  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

cut  out  for  our  work.  Besides,  my  dear,  it's  an  orful 
dangerous  place  down  here.  I'm  afraid  we'll  git  eat 
up  ourselves  before  the  evening  is  over.  I'm  sure 
you  would  be,  if  you  stayed.  I  wouldn't  mind  taking 
a  bite  myself,"  and  the  good  woman  and  her  assist 
ants  laughed  heartily  over  this  standing  joke  of  the 
evening,  while  Auntie  Lammer,  seeing  that  Mrs. 
Gubling  was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  supper-room, 
quivered  in  all  her  vast  proportions  with  politic  and 
propitious  mirth. 

All  this  was  inexpressibly  funny  to  Lottie,  who 
had  the  keenest  sense  of  the  absurd,  and  with  a  sign 
to  Hemstead  she  drew  him  away,  saying: 

"  This  exceeds  any  play  I  ever  saw.  I  didn't 
know  people  who  were  not  acting  could  be  so  queer 
and  comical." 

"Well,  Miss  Lottie,"  he  said,  as  they  ascended 
the  stairs,  "  I  admit  that  humanity  everywhere  often 
has  its  "ridiculous  side,  but  I  have  been  laughed  at 
too  much  myself  to  enjoy  laughing  at  others." 

"  And  why  should  you  be  laughed  at  so  much  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  is  the  fate  of  overgrown,  awkward 
boys,  who  have  a  tendency  to  blurt  out  the  truth  on 
all  occasions." 

<;  Such  a  tendency  as  that  will  always  make  you 
trouble,  I  assure  you." 

"  It  hasn't  with  you,  yet." 

"  Our  acquaintance  has  been  very  brief." 

"  And  yet  I  seem  to  know  you  so  well.  I  would 
not  have  believed  it  possible  in  one  short  day." 

"  I  think  you  are  mistaken.     But  you  have  ceased 


THE   OTHER   SET.  137 

to  be  a  stranger  to  me.  I  have  remarked  before  to 
day,  that  I  knew  you  better  than  some  I  have  seen 
from  childhood." 

"  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  wish  to  conceal  nothing." 

"  Few  can  say  that." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  that  I  am  better  than  other 
people,  only  that  it's  best  to  appear  just  what  we 
are.  People  should  be  like  coin,  worth  their  face — ' 

"  I  was  in  search  of  you,7'  interrupted  De  Forrest, 
as  they  stood  talking  a  moment  near  the  head  of  the 
stairs  in  the  hall.  u  We  did  not  know  but  that  the 
sylph  you  escorted  away,  had  made  a  supper  on 
Hemstead,  with  you  as  a  relish.  Have  you  seen 
enough  of  this  bear-garden  yet  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Lottie  ;  "  I'm  just  beginning 
to  enjoy  myself." 

From  openly  staring  at  and  criticising  the  party 
from  Mrs.  Marchmont's,  the  young  people  began  to 
grow  aggressive,  and  from  class  prejudices,  were  in 
clined  to  be  hostile.  There  were  whispered  consulta 
tions,  and  finally  one  well-known  habitue  of  the  store 
and  tavern  thought  he  could  cover  himself  with  glory 
by  a  trick,  and  at  the  same  time  secure  a  kiss  from 
Lottie,  the  prettiest.  The  conspiracy  was  soon 
formed.  A  kissing  game  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms 
was  suspended  for  a  moment,  and  one  of  the  tall  girls 
accompanied  him  down  as  if  they  were  a  delegation, 
and  on  the  principle  that  in  designs  against  a  woman 
a  female  confederate  is  always  helpful  in  disarming 
fear  and  suspicion. 


138  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

He  approached  Lottie  with  the  best  manners  he 
could  assume,  and  said  : 

"  We  are  having  some  games  up  stairs.  Perhaps 
you  would  like  to  join  us.  We'd  like  to  have  you." 

"  Do  come,"  added  the  tall  girl,  "  they  are  real 
nice." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Lottie,  who  was  now  ready  for 
another  adventure.  "  Come  ;  let  us  all  go." 

"  The  others  need'nt  come  unless  they  want  to," 
said  the  young  man,  for  he  didn't  relish  the  lawyer's 
presence,  whom  he  knew  by  reputation,  nor  the 
searching  look  of  the  tall  stranger  whom  he  did  not 
know. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  and  Julian  come,"  said 
Lottie,  and  as  they  ascended  the  stairs,  she  studied 
this  new  specimen  of  Scrub  Oaks,  who  was  a  loafer 
of  the  village  as  De  Forrest  was  an  idler  of  the  town. 
They  both  belonged  to  the  same  genus,  though  the 
latter  would  have  resented  such  a  statement  as  the 
foulest  insult. 

The  manners  and  the  smart,  loud  finery  of  her 
new  acquaintance,  amused  Lottie  very  much.  When 
they  reached  the  room,  they  found  it  full  of  whisper 
ing*  gigging  young  people. 

The  tall  girl,  as  instructed,  said,  "  Now  let  us 
form  a  ring  with  our  hands  on  this  rope." 

This  having  been  done,  she  said,  "  Now,  Mr. 
Shabb,  you  must  go  inside  first;  "  and  then,  with  a 
nudge  to  Lottie,  she  explained,  "  He'll  try  to  hit  our 
hands  with  his,  and  if  he  hits  your  hands  you  will 
have  to  go  inside  the  ring." 


THE   OTHER   SET.  139 

What  else  he  would  do,  she  left  to  be  disclosed 
by  action. 

Then  he  of  the  flaming  neck-tie  and  bulging  cheek 
took  his  place  with  a  twinkling  eye  that  meant  mis 
chief.  De  Forrest  and  Hemstead  declined  to  play, 
but  the  latter  slipped  forward  and  stood  near  Lottie. 
He  was  not  sure,  but  dimly  remembered  seeing  this 
game  before,  when  it  was  not  played  so  innocently 
as  the  tall  girl  had  described. 

The  young  rustic  made  extravagant  but  purposely 
vain  efforts  to  strike  the  hands  of  others,  and  Lottie 
watched  the  scene  with  laughing  curiosity.  Suddenly 
he  wheeled  round  and  struck  her  hands  sharply  ;  and 
to  her  horrified  surprise,  it  seemed  but  a  second  later 
that  his  repulsive  face  was  almost  against  her  own. 
But  something  came  between,  and  starting  back,  she 
saw  the  baffled  youth  imprint  a  fervent  kiss  on  the 
back  of  Hemstead's  hand. 

There  was  a  loud  laugh  at  him  from  those  who 
expected  to  laugh  with  him.  He  swaggered  up  to 
Hemstead,  and  said  threateningly : 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Lottie,  confronting 
him  with  blazing  eyes.  "  It  is  well  this  gentleman 
interposed.  If  you  had  succeeded  in  your  insult  I 
should  have  had  you  punished  in  a  way  that  you 
would  not  soon  forget."  - 

(i  It's  only  part  of  the  game,"  muttered  he, 
abashed  by  her  manner. 

"  Part  of  the  game  ?  " 


FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Yes,"  giggled  the  tall  girl,  faintly ;  "  it's  a  kiss 
ing  game." 

"Did  you  know  it  was  such?"  asked  Lottie, 
indignantly,  of  De  Forrest  and  Hemstead. 

"  Indeed  I  did  not,"  said  De  Forrest,  "  and  if  you 
say  so,  I'll  give  this  fellow  the  flogging,  anyway." 

"  Come  right  out,  and  do  it  now,"  was  the  pert 
response. 

"All  I  can  say  is,  Miss  Marsden,"  explained 
Hemstead,  "  that  I  suspected  something  wrong,  and 
took  means  to  prevent  it.  How  these  nice-looking 
girls  can  allow  this  fellow  to  kiss  them,  is  more  than 
I  can  understand." 

"  No  lady  would,"  said  Lottie,  as  she  swept  dis 
dainfully  out ;  and  under  the  withering  influence  of 
these  remarks,  kissing  games  languished  the  rest  of 
the  evening ;  only  young  children,  and  a  few  of  the 
coarser  natured  ones,  participating.  But  soon  the 
absurdity  of  the  whole  scene  overcame  Lottie,  and 
she  laughed  till  the  tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

As  they  were  slowly  descending  the  stairs  a  faded 
little  woman  said  : 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you  enjoying  yourself,  Miss 
Marchmont.  It  was  very  kind  of  you  and  your  party 
to  come  so  far." 

"  I  am  not  Miss  Marchmont,"  said  Lottie, 
"  though  I  came  with  her." 

"  Well,  as  the  minister's  wife,  I  would  like  her 
and  all  her  party  to.  know  of  our  grateful  appre 
ciation." 

"  You  thank  us  beyond  our  deserts.     But  are  you 


THE   OTHER   SET.  141 

the  minister's  wife  ?  I  am  glad  to  make  your 
acquaintance ;  "  and  she  held  out'  her  hand,  which 
Mrs.  Dlimm  seemed  glad  to  take. 

At  this  moment  there  came  the  cry  of  an  infant 
from  one  of  the  upper  rooms. 

"  Oh,  there  goes  my  baby,"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm, 
I  thought  I  heard  it  before."  and  she  was  about  to 
hasten  on. 

"  May  I  not  go  with  you  and  see  the  baby?" 
asked  Lottie. 

What  mother  ever  refused  such  a  request  ?  In  a 
moment  Lottie  was  in  the  one  small  room  in  which, 
on  this  portentous  occasion,  the  three  younger  chil 
dren  were  huddled,  the  others  being  old  enough  to 
take  part  in  what,  to  them,  was  the  greatest  excite 
ment  of  their  lives,  thus  far. 

Lottie  looked  curiously  around,  with  the  quick 
appreciative  eye  by  which  ladies  seem  to  gather 
accurately  at  a  glance  the  effect  of  a  costume  and 
the  style  and  character  of  an  apartment  and  its 
occupants.  But  she  politely,  and  from  a  certain 
innate  interest,  gave  such  attention  to  the  baby  as  to 
win  the  mother's  heart.  It  was  but  an  ordinary 
baby,  although  the  fattest  and  sturdiest  member  of  a 
rather  pinched  household,  but  Lottie  wonderingly 
saw  that  to  the  faded  mother  it  was  a  cherub  just 
from  heaven. 

Lottie  could  not  understand  it.  A  perfumed 
baby,  in  lace  and  muslin,  might  be  a  nice  pet  if  the 
nurse  were  always  within  call,  but  the  sole  care  of 
this  chubby-cheeked  Molock,  that  would  sacrifice  its 


142  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

mother  as  unconsciously  and  complacently  as  the 
plant  absorbs  moisture,  seemed  almost  as  prosaic  and 
dreadful  as  being  devoured  alive. 

**  Does  no  one  help  you  take  care  of  that  child  ?  " 
asked  she. 

"  Well,  my  husband  and  the  elder  children  help 
some." 

"  Haven't  you  a  nurse  for  all  these  children  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed.  It's  as  much  as  we  can  do  to 
clothe  and  feed  them." 

"  Don't  you  keep  any  servants  at  all  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  have  a  girl  in  the  kitchen,  but  she's 
almost  as  much  bother  as  she  is  worth." 

"  How  do  you  get  along  ?  " 

"  I  hardly  know — somewhat  as  the  birds  do  out 
of  doors." 

"  Are  you  happy  ?  " 

"  I've  hardly  time  to  think.  I  think  I  am  though  ; 
happy  as  most  people.  Some  days  bright,  some 
days  cloudy,  and  now  and  then  a  storm.  That's  the 
way  it  is  with  all,  I  imagine.  We  all  have  our  crosses 
you  know,  but  by  and  by  all  will  come  right." 

"  I  should  be  cross  enough,  with  all  your  crosses." 

"  They  might  make  you  patient.  The  Grossest 
people  I  know  are  those  who  shun  all  crosses." 

"  Now  I  think  of  it,  I'm  inclined  to  believe  that's 
true,"  said  Lottie  reflectively.  Then  she  whispered, 
as  she  walked  softly  to  the  mother's  side,  a  Baby  is 
going  to-sleep,  isn't  it  ?  " 

With  different  expressions,  they  both  peered  into 
the  full-moon  face,  two  features  of  which,  the  eyes, 


THE   OTHER   SET.  143 

were  becoming  obliterated  by  the  white,  drooping 
lids.  Lottie  looked  as  if  she  were  examining  a  zoo 
logical  specimen.  Mrs.  Dlimm  gazed  with  a  smile 
of  deep  content  and  tenderness. 

The  undisturbed  rest  of  the  child  upon  her  bosom 
was  a  type  of  her  own  mind  at  that  moment.  She 
was  nature's  child,  God's  child,  and  the  babe  was  hers. 

To  the  true  and  simple  children  of  nature,  who, 
without  thought  of  self  or  the  public  eye,  are  quietly 
doing  their  duty  in  their  own  little  niches,  these 
moments  of  peace  with  strange  thrills  of  joy  are  con 
stantly  coming.  If  this  worn  mother  could  look 
down  upon  the  child,  and  her  plain,  pale  face  grow 
beautiful  with  spiritual  light,  how  must  the  God  who 
inspires  all  love — who  is  the  source  of  tenderness — 
have  regarded  her? 

The  expression  of  this  woman's  face  puzzled  Lot 
tie  beyond  measure.  It  was  so  incongruous,  irrecon 
cilable  with  the  burdens,  the  weary  cares,  and  cease 
less  toil  and  anxiety  of  her  lot.  It  was  so  out  of 
keeping  with  the  noisy  throng  and  confused  bustle 
that  filled  the  house,  and  it  dimly  suggested  to  the 
proud  belle  a  condition  of  mind  before  undreamt  of 
in  her  philosophy. 

Some  new  and  curious  thoughts  stole  into  her 
heart  as  she  watched  the  mother,  slowly  rocking  back 
ward  and  forward,  uttering  a  low,  crooning  lullaby — 
the  gentlest  sound  that  ever  falls  on  mortal  ears. 
For  some  reason  there  came  into  her  soul  a  sudden 
loathing  of  her  own  selfishness  and  callousness. 

After  the  child  had  been  laid  in  the  cradle,  she 


144  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

asked,  "  What  did  you  mean  when  you  said,  *  It  will 
all  come  right  some  day  ?  '  ' 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  meant  that  God's  little  chil 
dren  often  get  sorely  perplexed  with  their  cares  and 
troubles  in  this  world,  but  when  we  get  home  and 
sit  down  to  rest  and  think  it  all  over,  it  will  then 
seem  right." 

"Home?*1 

"  Yes,  home  in  our  Heavenly  Father's  house. 
That's  the  only  real  home  we  have.  We  only  '  stop/ 
as  the  Irish  say,  here  and  there  for  a  little  while  in 
this  world." 

"  And  do  you  think  of  heaven  as  a  pleasant 
home  and  rest  after  what  seems  to  me  your  very 
hard  life?" 

"  Certainly  ;  how  do  you  think  of  it  ?  " 

"  Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  have  not  thought  much 
about  it." 

Before  Mrs.  Dlimm  could  reply,  there  came  any 
thing  but  a  heavenly  interruption.  It  was  as  if  Moses 
and  Aaron  were  within  the  cool  and  shadowy  taber 
nacle  feasting  on  spiritual  manna,  and  there  came  a 
delegation  from  the  Hebrew  camp,  clamoring  for  the 
"  leeks  and  onions  of  Egypt." 

Though  the  congregation  often  said,  "  It's  a  pity 
Mrs.  Dlimm  is  such. a  meek  and  quiet  little  woman," 
and  though  the  self-appointed  committee  of  ladies 
was  so  large,  and  the  minister  himself  was  down  stairs, 
yet  when  the  first  real  emergency  of  the  evening  arose, 
the  upstairs  members  of  the  committee  were  helpless, 
and  the  best  thing  Mrs.  Gubling,  the  leading  spirit 


THE   OTHER   SET.  145 

down  stairs,  could  do,  was  to  "  slick  up,"  as  she  said, 
and  "  go  tell  the  Parson's  wife."  But  seeing  Mr. 
Dlimm  on  the  way,  she  beckoned  him  aside  with  a 
portentous  nod.  He,  poor  man,  heard  her  tidings 
with  dismay.  He  had  fallen  into  the  habit  of  taking 
all  his  difficulties  either  to  the  Lord  or  his  wife,  and 
in  this  case  he  felt  that  both  must  come  to  his  aid. 

With  Mrs.  Gubling  he  at  .once  hastened  to  the 
nursery,  and  entered  rather  abruptly. 

Mrs.  Dlimm  raised  her  finger  impressively,  then 
pointed  to  the  cradle. 

"  But,  my  dear — "  began  her  husband,  rather 
impatiently. 

"  Hush,"  said  the  wife  in  a  low  tone,  "  whatever's 
the  matter  don't  wake  the  baby,  for  then  I  can't  do 
anything."  + 

11  Mrs.  Dlimm,"  said  Mrs.  Gubling,  "  they've  eat 
up  about  everything  there  is  down  stairs,  'cept  me, 
and  there's  three  tables  yet.  It's  such  a  fine  night, 
and  the  sleighing's  so  good,  that  lots  more  have 
come  than  we  expected.  I  don't  know  how  much 
money  they  brought,  but  they  hain't  brought  pro 
visions  enough." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  asked  Mr.  Dlimm  ner 
vously. 

"  If  it  takes  the  last  penny  we  have  in  the  world," 
said  his  wife,  with  grave  dignity,  "  no  one  shall  leave 
our  house  hungry.  You  must  step  over  to  the  store, 
Mr.  Dlimm,  and  buy  enough  to  satisfy  every  one." 

"  I  feel  just  as  you  do,  my  dear,"  he  said,  with 
the  air  of  one  who  sees  duty  clearly,  though  it  is  far 
7 


146  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

from  being  agreeable.  "  Just  give  me  our  poor  little 
hoard  from  your  bureau  drawer,  and  I'll  go  at  once." 
Lottie  witnessed  the  scene  with  mingled  amuse 
ment  and  indignation,  and  then  with  her  face  aglow 
with  a  sudden  purpose,  sped  away  also. 


HUMAN  NA  TURE.  147 


CHAPTER    X. 

HUMAN  NATURE. 

THE  dismal  tidings  from  the  lower  regions,  that 
the  larder  had  been  stripped  and  that  scarcely 
even  a  pie  remained,  soon  became  an  open  secret, 
about  which  every  one  was  whispering  and  comment 
ing.  The  supperless  wore  a  defrauded  and  injured 
air.  The  eyes  of  many  who  had  not  left  so  impor 
tant  a  duty  to  the  uncertainties  of  the  future,  but, 
like  Auntie  Lammer,  had  availed  themselves  of  the 
first  opportunity,  now  twinkled  shrewdly  and  com 
placently.  They  had  the  comfortable  consciousness 
of  taking  care  of  themselves.  But  the  greater  num 
ber  were  honestly  indignant  and  ashamed  that  such 
a  thing  should  have  happened.  This  feeling  of  mor 
tification  was  increased  when  the  committee  reported 
but  a  small  sum  of  money  handed  in  as  yet.  The 
majority  were  provoked  at  others,  and  a  few  at  them 
selves,  for  having  brought  so  little.  As  the  situation 
became  clearer,  all  began  to  act  characteristically, 
some  preparing  to  slink  away  and  escape  a  disagree 
able  state  of  things,  and  others  putting  their  heads 
together  in  the  wish  to  remedy  matters.  Some  gig 
gled,  and  others  looked  solemn.  Some  tried  to 
appear  resigned,  as  if  it  were  a  dispensation  of  Provi- 


148  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

dence,  and  others  snarled  about  "  them  mean  Joneses 
and  Rhamms." 

Lottie  hastily  summoned  her  party  together,  and 
told  them  of  the  dire  emergency,  as  Mrs.  Gubling 
had  stated  it. 

"  Now,"  said  she,  "  if  you  gentlemen  have  got 
any  wit  worth  the  name,  you  must  hit  on  some  way 
of  helping  the  parson  out  of  his  scrape,  for  I  have 
taken  a  great  interest  in  him,  or  rather  his  wife.  She 
is  the  queerest  little  woman  I  ever  saw,  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  she  were  an  angel  in  disguise." 

"  As  you  are  undisguised,"  whispered  De  For 
rest. 

"  Oh,  be  still,  Julian.  That  compliment  is  as  del 
icate  as  Auntie  Lammer's  appetite.  But  see,  some 
of  these  mean  '  locusts  of  Egypt/  after  eating  their 
minister  out  of  house  and  home,  are  preparing  to  go. 
We  must  get  a  collection  before  a  soul  leaves  the 
house.  Julian,  you  lock  the  back  door,  and  Mr. 
Hemstead,  you  stand  by  the  front  door;  and  now, 
Mr.  Harcourt,  you  are  a  lawyer,  and  know  how  to 
talk  sharply  to  people  :  you  give  these  cormorants  to 
understand  what  we  expect  them  to  do,  before  they 
leave." 

Hemstead  obeyed  with  alacrity;  for  the  effort  to 
help  the  overburdened  pastor  of  Scrub  Oaks  meet 
the  rigors  of  winter  seemed  about  to  end  in  disas 
trous  failure.  He  had  noticed,  with  satisfaction,  that 
many  of  the  people  shared  his  regret,  and  wished  to 
do  something,  but  through  lack  of  leadership  the 
gathering  was  about  to  break  up,  each  one  blam- 
6 


HUMAN  NATURE.  149 

ing  some  one  else,  and  all  secretly  mortified  at  the 
result. 

Harcourt  thought  a  moment,  and  then  stepping 
to  a  position  where  he  could  be  seen  through  open 
doors  and  heard  from  the  upper  story,  clapped  his 
hands  loudly  to  secure  silence,  and  draw  attention 
to  himself. 

"  Do  you  know  where  your  pastor  has  gone  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  He  is  out  now  buying  provisions -with 
his  own  money  to  feed  a  crowd  who  came  here 
under  the  false  pretence  to  give  a  donation,  but  in 
truth,  seemingly  to  eat  him  out  of  house  and 
home." 

Flushes  of  shame  and  anger  flashed  into  nearly 
every  face  at  these  stinging  words,  but  Harcourt 
continued  remorselessly : 

"  You  know  who  I  am,  and  I  thought  I  knew 
something  about  you.  I  had  heard  that  the  people 
back  in  the  country  were  large-handed,  large-hearted, 
and  liberal,  but  we  must  be  mistaken.  I  think  this 
the  quintessence  of  meanness,  and  if  you  break  up 
to-night  without  a  big  collection,  I  will  publish  you 
throughout  the  land.  I  want  you  to  understand 
that  your  minister  has  nothing  to  do  with  what  I 
say.  I  speak  on  my  own  responsibility." 

"  Capital !  "  whispered  Lottie.  "  That  was  red- 
hot  shot,  and  they  deserved  it.  If  that  don't  drain 
their  pockets,  nothing  will." 

But  she  was  not  a  little  surprised  and  disgusted, 
when  a  stalwart  young  farmer  stepped  out,  and  with 
a  face  inflamed  with  anger,  said  in  harsh  emphasis : 


15°  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

*'  I  was  sorry  and  ashamed  to  have  this  affair  end 
as  it  promised  to,  and  was  going  to  come  down 
handsomely  myself,  and  try  to  get  some  others  to, 
but  since  that  sprig  of  the  law  has  tried  to  bully  and 
whip  us  into  doing  something,  I  won't  give  one  cent. 
I  want  you  to  understand,  Tom  Harcourt,  that  what 
ever  may  be  true  of  the  people  back  in  the  country, 
you,  nor  no  other  man,  can  drive  us  with  a  horse 
whip." 

The  young  man's  words  seemed  to  meet  with 
general  approval,  and  there  were  many  confirmatory 
nods  and  responses.  They  were  eager  to  find  some 
one  to  blame,  and  upon  whom  they  could  vent  their 
vexation  ;  and  this  aristocratic  young  lawyer,  whose 
words  had  cut  like  knives,  was  like  a  spark  in  pow 
der.  Many  could  go  away  and  half  persuade  them 
selves  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  him  they  might 
have  done  something  handsome,  and  even  the  best- 
disposed  present  were  indignant.  It  would  seem 
that  the  party  would  break  up,  before  the  minister 
returned,  in  a  general  tumult. 

The  young  farmer  stalked  to  the  front  door,  and 
said  threateningly  to  Hemstead  : 

"  Open  that  door." 

"  No,  don't  you  do  it,"  whispered  Lottie. 

He  threw  the  door  open  wide. 

"  Oh,  for  shame ! "  she  said  aloud ;  "  I  did  not 
think  that  of  you,  Mr.  Hemstead." 

Without  heeding  her  he  confronted  the  young 
farmer  and  asked : 

"  Do  you  believe  in  fair  play?  " 


Jl  UMA  N   NA  7  7/A-  A.  1  5  [ 

"  Yes,  and  fair  words,  too." 

"  All  right,  sir.  1  listened  quietly  arid  politely  to 
you.  Will  you  now  listen  to  me  ?  1  have  not 
spoken  yet." 

"Oh,  certainly,"  said  the  young  farmer,  squaring 
himself   and    folding    his  arms  on    his  ample  th 
"  Let  every  dog  have  his  day." 

llemstead  then  raisc:d  his  powerful  voice,  so  that 
it  could  be  heard  all  through  the  house,  and  yet  he 
spoke  quietly  and  calmly. 

"  The  gentleman  who  last  addressed  you,  now  in 
the  spirit  of  fair  play  offers  to  listen  to  me.  1  ask 
all  present,  with  the  same  spirit  of  candor  and  polite 
ness,  to  hear  me  for  a  few  moments.  JJut  the  door 
is  open  wide,  and  if  there  are  any  who  don't  believe 
in  fair  play  and  a  fair  hearing  all  around,  they  are  at 
a  liberty  to  depart  at  once." 

No  one  moved.  And  the  young  farmer  said, 
with  the  sternness  of  his  square  face  greatly  relaxing: 

"You  may  shut  the  door,  sir.  We  will  all  listen 
when  spoken  to  in  that  style.  But  we  don't  want  to 
be  driven  like  cattle."  Then  yielding  farther  to  the 
influence  of  Ilemstead's  courtesy,  he  stepped  for 
ward  and  shut  the  door  himself. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Hemstead  heartily,  and 
then  continued  : 

"  I  am  a  stranger  among  you,  and  am  here  to 
night  very  unexpectedly.  My  home  is  in  the  West, 
and  like  yourselves,  I  belong  to  that  class  who,  when 
they  give,  give  not  from  their  abundance,  but  out  of 
their  poverty.'  There  has  been  a  mistake  here  to- 


I $2  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

night.  I  think  I  understand  you  better  than  my 
friend  Mr.  Harcourt.  From  the  pleasantness  of  the 
evening  more  are  present  than  you  looked  for.  There 
are  many  young  people  here  whom  I  suspect  have 
come  from  a  distance,  unexpectedly,  for  the  sake  of 
a  ride  and  frolic,  and  were  not  as  well  prepared  as  if 
their  households  had  known  of  it  before.  .  Long 
drives  and  the  cold  night  have  caused  keen  appetites. 
When  the  result  became  known  a  few  moments  ago, 
I  saw  that  many  felt  that  it  was  too  bad,  and  that 
something  ought  to  be  done,  and  no  one  was  more 
decided  in  the  expression  of  this  feeling  than  the 
gentleman  who  last  spoke.  All  that  was  needed 
then,  and  all  that  is  needed  now,  is  to  consider  the 
matter  a  moment  and  then  act  unitedly.  I  ask  you 
as  Christian  men  and  women,  as  humane,  kind- 
hearted  people,  to  dismiss  from  your  minds  all  con 
siderations,  save  one — your  pastor's  need.  I  under 
stand  that  he  has  six  little  children.  A  long,  cold 
winter  is  before  him  and  his.  He  is  dependent  upon 
you  for  the  comforts  of  life.  In  return,  he  is  serving 
the  deepest  and  most  sacred  needs  of  your  natures, 
and  in  his  poverty  is  leading  you  to  a  faith  that  will 
enrich  you  forever.  It  is  not  chanty  that  is  asked. 
A  church  is  a  family,  and  you  are  only  providing  for 
your  own.  How  could  any  of  you  be  comfortable 
this  winter  if  you  knew  your  minister  was  pinched 
and  lacking  ?  The  Bible  says  that  the  laborer  is 
worthy  of  his  hire.  You  have  only  to  follow  the 
impulse  of  your  consciences,  your  own  better  natures, 
and  I  have  no  fears..  A  few  moments  ago  your  pas- 


HUMAN  NATURE.  153 

tor  had  a  painful  surprise.  You  can  have  a  very 
agreeable  one  awaiting  him  by  the  time  he  re 
turns.  You  can  make  his  heart  glad  for  months  to 
come,  and  so  make  your  own  glad.  Though  I  am  a 
stranger,  as  I  said,  and  a  poor  man,  yet  I  am  will 
ing  to  give  double  what  I  proposed  at  first,  and  if 
some  one  will  take  up  a  collection,  will  hand  in  ten 
dollars." 

"  Give  me  your  hand  on  that,"  said  the  young 
farmer  heartily,  "  and  there's  ten  dollars  more  to 
keep  it  company.  When  a  man  talks  like  that,  I 
am  with  him,  shoulder  to  shoulder.  Will  some  one 
bring  me  the  dominie's  hat?' 

One  was  soon  forthcoming. 

"  And  now,"  said  the  young  man,  stepping  up  to 
Lottie,  "  you  seem  to  take  a  sight  of  interest  in  this 
matter,  miss.  I  think  you  can  look  five  dollars  out  of 
most  of  the  young  chaps  here.  I'll  go  around  with 
you,  and  see  that  each  one  comes  down  as  he  or  she 
ought.  If  any  body  ain't  got  what  they'd  like  to  give, 
I'll  lend  it  to  'em,  and  collect  it,  too,"  he  added,  raising 
his  strong  hearty  voice. 

Thus  through  Hemstead's  words  and  action  the 
aspect  of  the  skies  changed,  and  where  a  desolating 
storm  had  threatened,  there  came  a  refreshing  shower. 

What  he  had  said  commended  itself  to  so  many 
that  the  mean  and  crotchety  found  it  politic  to  fall 
in  with  the  prevailing  spirit. 

Amid  approving  nods,  whispered  consultations, 
and  the  hauling  out  of  all  sorts  of  queer  receptacles 
of  money,  the  graceful  city  belle  and  the  blunt, 
7* 


154  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

broad-shouldered  farmer  started  on  an  expedition 
that,  to  the  six  little  Dlimms,  would  be  more  import 
ant  than  one  for  the  discovery  of  the  North  Pole. 

"  No  coppers  now  !  "  shouted  ,the  young  man. 

Lottie,  fairly  bubbling  over  with  fun  and  enjoy 
ment  of  the  whole  thing,  was  all  graciousness,  and 
with  smiles  long  remembered  by  some  of  the  rustic 
youth,  certainly  did  beguile  them  into  generosity 
at  which  they  wondered  ever  after. 

The  result  was  marvellous,  and  the  crown  of  the 
old  hat  was  becoming  a  crown  of  joy  indeed  to  the 
impoverished  owner,  who  now  had  the  promise  of 
some  royal  good  times. 

That  fast  filling  hat  meant  nourishing  beef  occa 
sionally,  a  few  books  for  the  minister's  famishing 
mind,  a  new  dress  or  two  for  the  wife,  and  a  warm 
suit  for  the  children  all  around. 

No  one  was  permitted  to  escape,  and  in  justice  it 
could  now  be  said  that  few  wished  to,  for  all  began 
to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  doing  a  good  and  generous 
deed. 

When,  having  been  to  nearly  all,  Lottie  said  to 
her  now  beaming  companion  : 

"  Go  and  get  Mrs.  Dlimm,  and  seat  her  in  the 
large  rocker  in  the  parlor." 

The  poor  little  woman  having  witnessed  all  the 
earlier  scenes  from  the  stairs  with  strong  and  vary 
ing  feelings,  had,  during  the  last  few  moments,  seen 
Lottie  pass  with  such  a  profusion  of  greenbacks  in  her 
husband's  hat,  that  in  a  bewildering  sense  of  joy  and 
gratitude  she  had  fled  to  the  little  nursery  sanctuary, 


HUMAN  NATURE  155 

and  when  found  by  some  of  the  ladies  was  crying 
over  the  baby  in  the  odd  contradictoriness  of  femi 
nine  action.  She  was  hardly  given  time  to  wipe  her 
eyes,  before  she  was  escorted  on  the  arm  of  the 
now  gallant  farmer,  to  the  chair  of  state  in  the 
parlor. 

Then  Lottie  advanced  to  make  a  little  speech, 
but  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  old  school-day 
formula ;  and  so  the  stately  introduction  ended 
abruptly  but  most  effectively,  as  follows : 

"  As  a  token  of  our  esteem  and  kindly  feeling,  and 
as  an  expression  of — of — I — we  hereby  present  you 
with — with  the  reward  of  merit ;  "  and  she  emptied 
the  hat  in  the  lady's  lap. 

Instead  of  graceful  acknowledgement,  and  a 
neatly  worded  speech  in  reply,  Mrs.  Dlimm  burst 
into  tears,  and  springing  up  threw  her  arms  around 
Lottie's  neck  and  kissed  her,  while  the  greenbacks 
were  scattered  round  their  feet  like  an  emerald 
shower.  Indeed  the  grateful  little  woman,  in  her 
impulse,  had  stepped  forward  and  upon  the  money. 

The  city  belle,  to  her  great  surprise  and  vexation, 
found  that  some  spring  of  her  own  nature  had  been 
touched,  and  that  her  eyes  also  were  overflowing. 
As  she  looked  around  deprecatingly,  and  half- 
ashamed,  she  saw  that  there  was  a  prospect  of  a 
general  shower  and  that  many  of  the  women  were 
sniffling  audibly,  and  the  brusque  young  farmer 
stood  near,  looking  as  if  he  could  more  easily  hold  a 
span  of  runaway  horses  than  he  could  hold  in 
himself. 


156  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

At  this  moment  Hemstead  stepped  forward,  and 
said  : 

"  My  friends,  we  can  learn  a  lesson  from  this 
scene,  for  it  is  true  to  our  best  nature,  and  very  sug 
gestive.  .  Your  pastor's  wife  standing  there  upon 
your  gift  that  she  may  kiss  the  giver  (for  in  this 
instance  Miss  Marsden  but  represents  you  and  your 
feeling  and  action),  is  a  beautiful  proof  that  we  value 
more  and  are  more  blessed  by  the  spirit  of  kindness 
which  prompts  the  gift,  than  by  the  gift  itself.  See, 
she  puts  her  foot  on  the  gift,  but  takes  the  giver  to 
her  heart.  The  needs  of  the  heart—the  soul,  are 
ever  greater  than  those  of  the  body,  therefore  *she 
acknowledges  your  kindness  first,  because  with  that 
you  have  supplied  her  chief  need.  She  does  not 
undervalue  your  gift,  but  values  your  kindness  more. 
Hereafter,  as  you  supply  the  temporal  need  of  your 
pastor,  as  I  believe  you  ever  will,  let  all  be  provided 
with  the  same  honest  kindness  and  sympathy.  Let 
us  also  all  learn  from  this  lady's  action,  to  think  of 
"the  Divine  Giver  of  all  good,  before  his  best  earthly 
gifts." 

Mrs.  Dlimm  had  recovered  herself  sufficiently  by 
this  time  to  turn  to  the  people  around  her  and  say, 
with  a  gentle  dignity  that  would  scarcely  have  been 
expected  from  her  : 

"  The  gentlernan  has  truly  interpreted  to  you  my 
very  heart.  I  do  value  the  kindness  more  even  than 
the  money  which  we  needed  so  sorely.  Our  Chris 
tian  work  among  you  will  be  JTiore  full  of  hope 


HUMAN  NATURE.  157 

and  faith  because  of  this  scene,  and  therefore  more 
successful." 

Then,  as  from  a  sudden  impulse,  she  turned  and 
spoke  to  Hemstead  with  quaint  earnestness: 

"  You  are  a  stranger,  sir,  but  I  perceive  from 
your  noble  courtesy  and  bearing — your  "power  to 
appreciate  and  bring  out  the  best  there  is  in  us, 
that  you  belong  to  the  royal  family  of  the  Great 
King.  Your  Master  will  reward  you." 

Poor  Hemstead,  who  thus  far  had  forgotten  him 
self  in  his  thought  for  others,  was  now  suddenly  and 
painfully  made  conscious  of  his  own  existence,  and 
at  once  became  the  most  helpless  and  awkward  of 
mortals,  as  he  found  all  eyes  turned  toward  him.  He 
was  trying  to  escape  from  the  room  without  step 
ping  on  two  or  three  people,  to  Lottie's  infinite 
amusement,  though  the  tears  stood  in  her  eyes  as 
she  laughed,  when  Mrs.  Gubling,  ignorant  of  all  that 
had  happened,  appeared  from  the  kitchen,  and  created 
a  diversion  in  his  favor. 

The  good  woman  looked  as  if  pickles  were  the 
only  part  of  the  donation  supper,  in  which  she  had 
indulged,  and  in  a  tone  of  ancient  vinegar,  said  : 

"  Them  as  hasn't  eaten,  had  better  come  and  take 
what  they  can  git  now." 

A  roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  rather  forbidding 
invitation.  But  before  any  one  could  reply,  Mr. 
Dlimm,  red  and  breathless  from  his  exertions,  also 
entered,  and  with  a  faint  smile  and  with  the  best 
courtesy  he  could  master  under  the  trying  circum 
stances,  added : 


1 58  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  am  sorry  any  of  our  friends  should  have  been 
kept  waiting  for  supper.  If  they  will  now  be  so  kind 
as  to  step  down,  we  will  do  the  best  we  can  for  them." 

The  good  man  was  as  puzzled  as  Mrs.  Gubling 
had  been  by  a  louder  explosion  of  mirth.  The  stout 
farmer  whispered  something  to  Lottie,  and  then  he, 
with  an  extravagant  flourish,  offered  his  arm  to  Mrs. 
Gubling. 

"  Go  'long  with  you,"  she  said,  giving  him  a  push, 
but  he  took  her  along  with  him,  while  Lottie  brought 
the  parson  to  where  his  wife  stood  surrounded  by 
greenbacks  like  fallen  leaves,  which  in  the  hurry  of 
events  had  not  been  picked  up.  The  good  man  stared 
at  his  wife  with  her  tearful  eyes,  and  Mrs.  Gubling 
stared  at  the  money,  and  the  people  laughed  and 
clapped  their  hands  as  only  hearty  country  people 
can.  Lottie  caught  the  contagion,  and  laughed  with 
them  till  she  was  ashamed  of  herself,  while  the  rest 
of  her  party,  except  Hemstead,  laughed  at  them  and 
the  "whole  absurd  thing''  as  they  styled  it,  though 
Harcourt  had  a  few  better  thoughts  of  his  own. 

Mrs.  Rhamm's  lank  figure  and  curious  face  now 
appeared  from  the  kitchen  in  the  desire  to  solve  the 
mystery  of  the  strange  sounds  she  heard,  and  the 
unheard  of  delay  in  coming  to  supper.  Lottie's  coad 
jutor  at  once  pounced  upon  her,  and  escorted,  or  ra 
ther  dragged  her  to  where  she  could  see  the  money. 
She  stared  a  moment,  and  then,  being  near-sighted, 
got  down  on  her  knees  that  she  might  look  more 
closely. 

"  She  is  going  to  pray  to  it,"  cried  the  farmer ; 


HUMAN  NATURE.  159 

and  the  simple  people,  aware  of  Mrs.  Rhamm's  de 
votion  to  this  ancient  god,  laughed  as  if  Sidney 
Smith  had  launched  his  wittiest  sally. 

"  Mrs.  Gubling,"  continued  the  young  man,  "  if 
you  are  not  chairman  of  the  committee,  you  ought 
to  be,  for  you  are  the  best  man  of  the  lot." 

"  I'd  have  you  know  I'm  no  man  at  all.  It's  no 
compliment  to  tell  a  woman  she's  sumpen  like  a 
man,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Gubling,  sharply. 

"  Well,  you've  been  a  ministering  angel  to  us  all, 
this  evening ;  you  can't  deny  that,  and  I  now  move 
that  you  and  the  dominie  be  appointed  a  committee 
to  count  this  money  and  report." 

It  was  carried  by  acclamation. 

"  Now  while  the  iron  is  hot,  I'm  going  to  strike 
again.  I  move  that  we  raise  the  dominie's  salary  to 
a  thousand  a  year.  We  all  know,  who  know  any 
thing,  that  he  can't  support  his  family  decently  on 
six  hundred." 

In  the  enthusiasm  of  the  hour  this  was  carried 
also  by  those,  who  at  the  same  time  were  wondering 
at  themselves  and  how  it  all  came  about.  Strong 
popular  movements  are  generally  surprises,  but  the 
springs  of  united  and  generous  action  are  ever  within 
reach,  if  one  by  skill  or  accident  can  touch  them. 
Even  perverted  human  nature  is  capable  of  sweet 
and  noble  harmonies,  if  rightly  played  upon. 


160  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

A  POSSIBLE  TRAGEDY. 

WHILE  the  money  was  being  counted,  Lottie 
led  Mrs.  Dlimm  into  the  hall,  and  introduced 
her  to  Hemstead,  saying: 

"  This  is  the  magician  whose  wand  has  trans 
formed  us  all." 

"  You  are  the  wand  then,"  he  said,  laughing. 

"  What  is  the  wand  without  the  magician  ?  "  she 
asked,  shyly  watching  the  effect  of  her  speech. 

His  quick  blush  bespoke  the  sensitive  nature  that 
it  was  becoming  her  delight  to  play  upon,  but  he 
said : 

"  According  to  legends,  magic  power  was  exerted 
in  two  ways,  by  a  magician,  as  you  suggested,  and 
by  ordinary  mortals  who  happened  to  find  a  wand  or 
spell  or  some  potent  secret  by  which  they  and  any 
one  could  perform  marvels.  Now,  I  assure  you  that 
I  am  the  most  ordinary  of  mortals,  and  without  my 
wand  I  could  not-conjure  at  all." 

Lottie  gave  him  a  look  at  this  point  which 
heightened  his  color,  but  he  continued : 

"  Miss  Marsden,  in  her  generosity,  shall  not  give 
to  me  the  credit  for  events  which  I  trust  will  add  a 
little  sunlight  to  your  life  this  winter,  Mrs.  Dlimm. 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  l6l 

It  is  to  be  shared  chiefly  by  herself  and  that  manly 
young  fellow  there,  who  is  a  member  of  your  church, 
I  suppose.  It  was  Miss  Marsden  who  brought  us 
the  tidings  of  the  evil  out  of  which  this  good  has 
come.  She  not  only  took  up  the  collection  with  such 
a  grace  that  no  one  could  resist,  but  she  suggested 
the  collection  in  the  first  place." 

•    "  What  do  you  know  about  my  irresistible  grace? 
You  haven't  given  me  anything." 

"  Yk)u  will  place  me  in  an  awkward  dilemma  if 
you  ask  anything,  for  I  have  given  you  all  the  money 
I  have  with  me,"  he  said,  laughing. 

4<  Perhaps  he  would  give  himself,"  said  simple, 
innocent  Mrs.  Dlimm,  who,  from  Lottie's  coquetry 
and  the  expression  of  Hemstead's  eyes,  imagined 
that  an  understanding  or  an  engagement  existed 
between  them. 

Lottie  laughed  till  the  tears  came,  at  Hemstead's 
blushing  confusion,  but  said  after  a  moment : 

"  That  would  be  a  graceless  request  from  me." 

"  I  don't  think  you  would  have  to  ask  twice," 
whispered  Mrs.  Dlimm. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  man  who  was  given  a 
white  elephant  ?  "  asked  Lottie  in  her  ear. 

"No,  what  about  him?"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm, 
simply. 

Lottie  laughed  again,  and  putting  her  arm  around 
the  little  lady  said,  aloud  : 

"  Mrs.  Dlimm,  you  and  your  baby  could  go  right 
back  to  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  I  rather  think  Mr. 
Hemstead  could  be  your  escort." 


1 62  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  trust  we  are  all  going  to  a  far  better  place," 
she  replied  quickly. 

"  I  fear  I'm  going  the  other  way,"  said  Lottie, 
shaking  her  head.  But  she  was  surprised  at  the 
expression  of  honest  trouble  and  sympathy  that  came 
out  upon  the  face  of  the  pastor's  wife. 

"  Miss  Marsden  does  herself  injustice,"  said  Hem- 
stead  quickly.  "  You  have  seen  her  action.  All  that 
I  have  seen  of  her  accords  with  that." 

"  But  you  have  not  known  me  two  days  ye£  alto 
gether,"  said  Lottie. 

"  No  matter.  The  last  time  I  was  in  a  picture- 
gallery,  I  spent  most  of  the  time  before  one  paint 
ing.  I  did  not  require  weeks  to  learn  its  char 
acter." 

"  I  shall  judge  you  by  your  action,  Miss  Mars- 
den,"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm,  gratefully.  "  My  creed  for 
bids  me  to  think  ill  of  any  one,  and  my  heart  forbids 
me  to  think  ill  of  you.  Those  tears  I  saw  in  your 
eyes  a  short  time  since,  became  you  better  than  any 
diamonds  you  will  ever  wear.  They  were  nature's 
ornaments,  and  proved  that  you  were  still  nature's 
child — that  you  had  not  in  your  city  life  grown 
proud,  and  cold,  and  false.  It  is  a  rare  and  precious 
thing  to  see  outward  beauty  but  the  reflex  of  a 
more  lovely  spirit.  Keep  that  spirit,  my  dear,  and 
you  will  never  lose  your  beauty  even  though  you 
grow  old  and  faded  as  I  am.  I  wish  I  could  see  you 
again,  for  your  full  sunny  life  has  done  me  more 
good  than  I  can  tell  you." 

Again,  Lottie's  warm  heart  and  impulsive  nature 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  163 

betrayed  her,  and,  before  she  thought,  exclaimed  in 
sincerity  : 

"  I  wish  I  deserved  what  you  say,  and  I  might  be 
better  if  I  saw  more  of  such  people  as  you  and  Mr. 
Hemstead.  If  he  will  drive  me  over  to-morrow,  I 
will  come  and  see  you.  I  think  he  will,  for  I  havn't 
told  you  that  he  is  a  minister,  and  would,  no  doubt, 
like  to  talk  to  your  husband." 

"  I  might  have  known  it,"  said  the  little  woman, 
stepping  forward  and  shaking  Hemstead's  hand  most 
cordially.  "  I  congratulate  you,  sir.  You  have  chosen 
a  princely  calling — a  royal  one  rather,  and  can  tread 
directly  in  the  steps  of  the  Son  of  God.  I  predict 
for  you  success — the  success  a  true  minister  craves. 
You  have  the  promise  within  you  of  winning  many 
from  evil." 

"  Believe  me,"  said  he  earnestly,  "  I  would  rather 
have  that  power  than  to  be  a  king." 

"  You  may  well  say  that,  sir,"  she  replied,  with  a 
dignity  that  Lottie  did  not  think  her  capable  of. 
"  Any  common  man  may  have  kingly  power,  and  the 
meanest  have  cursed  the  world  with  it.  But  the 
power  to  win  men  from  evil  is  godlike,  and  only  the 
godlike  have  it." 

Lottie  looked  curiously  at  the  object  of  her  prac 
tical  jest.  The  words  of  the  pastor's  wife  seemed  to 
have  drawn  his  thoughts  away  from  the  speaker  and 
herself,  and  fixed  them  on  his  future  work  and  its 
results.  It  is  in  such  moments  of  abstraction — of 
self-forgetfulness,  when  one's  mind  is  dwelling  on 
life  purposes  and  aims,  that  the  spirit  shines  through 


164  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

the  face,  as  through  a  transparency,  and  the  true  char 
acter  is  seen.  Lottie  saw  Hemstead's  face  grow  so 
noble  and  manly,  so  free  from  every  trace  of  the 
meanness  of  egotism  and  selfishness,  that  in  the 
depths  of  her  soul  she  respected  him  as  she  had 
never  any  man  before.  Instinctively  she  placed  Julian 
De  Forrest,  the  rich  and  elegant  idler,  beside  this 
earnest  man,  self-consecrated  to  the  highest  effort, 
and  for  the  first  time  her  soul  revolted  from  her 
cousin  with  something  like  disgust. 

What  she  had  imagined,  became  real  at  that  mo 
ment,  and  De  Forrest  appeared,  looking  bored  and 
uneasy. 

"  I  have  found  you  at  last,"  he  said  ;  "  we  became 
so  wedged  in  the  parlor,  that  there  was  no  getting 
out,  but  now  they  have  completed  the  laborious  task 
of  counting  a  sum  that  a  bank  clerk  would  run  over 
in  two  minutes,  and  it  is  to  be  announced  with  a 
final  flourish  of  trumpets.  Then  the  stingy  clod 
hoppers  that  you  have  inveigled  into  doing  some 
thing  that  they  will  repent  of  with  groanings  that 
cannot  be  uttered  to-morrow,  will  go  home  resolving 
to  pinch  and  save  till  they  make  good  what  they 
have  given."  He  then  added  carelessly  to  Mrs. 
Dlimm,  not  waiting  for  an  introduction,  "  I  am  sur 
prised  that  you  and  your  husband  are  willing  to  stay 
among  such  a  people." 

Before  she  could  answer,  he  said  to  Lottie, 
"  Are  you  ready  to  go  home  ?  Harcourt  and  Addie 
say  we  ought  to  start  at  once." 

Lottie   was   provoked  at  his  rudeness,  and  fur- 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  1 6? 

tively  watched  Mrs.  Dlimm's  face,  to  see  what  im- 
'pression  he  made  upon  her.  Indeed  her  face  was  a 
study  for  a  moment  as  she  measured  De  Forrest's 
proportions  with  a  slow,  sweeping  glance,  which  he 
thought  one  of  admiration.  But  instead  of  turning 
contemptuously  or  resentfully  away,  her  face  was 
pitiful. 

They  were  now  summoned  to  hear  the  result,  but 
Lottie  found  opportunity  to  whisper  to  Mrs.  Dlimm  : 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  think.  It  is  painfully 
evident  that  he  is  not  a  man." 

Mrs.  Dlimm's  verdict  had  a  weight  with  Lottie 
that  she  would  hardly  have  believed  possible  a  few 
hours  before.  There  was  a  quaint  simplicity  and 
sincerity  about  her,  an  unworldliness,  that  gave  her 
words  something  of  the  authority  of  the  other  world. 

The  abstraction  that  had  been  on  Hemstead's 
face  passed  to  Lottie's,  and  she  heard  with  inattentive 
ear  the  young  farmer  say  with  hearty  emphasis : 

"  We  present  you,  as  an  expression  of  our  good 
will,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars." 

She  heard,  but  still  did  not  heed  the  pastor's 
grateful  reply.  De  Forrest  whispered  to  her  often, 
but  her  brow  only  contracted  at  his  interruption  to 
her  busy  thought.  Suddenly,  she  noted  Hemstead's 
eye  resting  on  her  with  a  questioning  expression. 

Then  with  a  seeming  effort  she  came  out  of  her 
reverie,  and  tried  to  be  her  old  self  again. 

When  Mr.  Dlimm  ceased,  the  farmer  called  out 
heartily : 


166  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Good  for  you,  dominie.  Now  I  call  for  a  vote 
of  thanks  to  the  stranger  who  showed  us  a  way  out 
of  our  scrape.  I  understand  that  his  name  is  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Hemstead.  Also  a  vote  of  thanks  to  such  a 
young  lady  as  the  city  doesn't  often  send  us,  who,  if 
she  will  permit  a  country  compliment,  is  like  the  rose, 
good  enough  for  a  king,  yet  sweet  to  all.  I  call  on 
both  for  a  speech." 

Lottie,  blushing  and  laughing,  declared  that  she 
was  one  who  believed  "  that  a  woman  should  keep 
silence  in  meeting,"  and  requested  Hemstead  to 
answer  for  both. 

"  Miss  Marsden  does  not  need  words,"  said  Hem- 
stead.  "  She  has  a  better  kind  of  eloquence,  and 
speaks  to  us  through  good  and  kindly  deeds.  My 
part  in  the  happy  results  of  this  evening  is  slight.  It 
is  comparatively  easy  to  suggest  good  and  generous 
action,  but  it  is  harder  to  perform.  It  is  one  thing  to 
preach,  and  quite  another  to  practise.  You  have 
had  the  hard  part — the  practising,  and  yet  have  done 
it  as  if  it  were  not  hard,  as  duty  seldom  is  when  per 
formed  in  the  right  spirit ;  and  therefore  deserve  the 
greater  credit.  If  what  you  have  done  from  generous 
impulse  to-night,  you  will  henceforth  do  from  steady 
principle,  you  will  all  have  cause  to  remember  this 
evening  gratefully.  That  '  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  receive '  is  true,  not  only  because  the 
Bible  declares  it,  but  because  human  experience 
proves  it." 

Loud  applause  followed  these  words,  and  then 
the  farmer  said  : 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  l6/ 

Now,  Mr.  Harcourt,  you  are  welcome  to  publish 
all  you  have  seen  at  Scrub  Oaks  to-night. 

At  this  Harcourt  stepped  forward  and  said  : 

"Although  not  called  on  for.  a  speech,  I  shall 
make  a  short  one.  I  have  learned  a  thing  or  two 
this  evening.  When  I  make  a  blunder  I  am  not 
ashamed  to  acknowledge  it.  Mr.  Hemstead  and  I 
both  wished  to  bring  about  the  same  thing,  only  I 
went  about  it  the  wrong  way,  and  he  the  right. 
What  I  then  said  as  a  threat,  I  now  say  as  a  prom 
ise.  I  shall  write  for  our  county  paper  a  report  of 
this  meeting,  and  it  will  be  greatly  to  your  credit. 
I  take  back  my  former  harsh  words.  I  congratulate 
you  on  your  action,  and  commend  you  for  it." 

"  Give  me  your  hand  on  that,"  cried  the  farmer. 
"  Three  cheers  for  Tom  Harcourt.  If  you  are  ever 
up  for  office,  sir,  you  may  count  on  the  vote  of  Scrub 
Oaks." 

Thus  with  cheery  laughter  and  mutual  good  feel 
ing,  the  eventful  donation  party  broke  up,  leaving  a 
happier  family  in  the  little  parsonage  than  ever  dwelt 
there  before. 

In  a  few  moments  the  party  from  Mrs.  March- 
mont's  were  on  the  road,  though  it  proved  difficult 
to  hold  the  chilled  and  spirited  horses  long  enough 
for  them  to  get  seated.  De  Forrest  again  took  his 
place  by  Lottie,  but  she  determined  to  make  the 
conversation  general. 

"  I've  had  a  splendid  time,"  she  exclaimed,  "  and 
am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Addie  and  Mr.  Har 
court,  for  bringing  me." 


1 68  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I'm  glad  you  enjoyed  yourself,"  said  Addie, 
"  and  hope  that  you  have  now  had  enough  of  the 
1  other  set,'  as  you  call  them.  I  don't  see  how  you 
can  endure  them." 

"  Nor  I  either,"  said  Bel,  "  although  I  suppose  we 
ought  to  mingle  with  them  occasionally.  But  I  am 
tired  to  death." 

"  I  was  disgusted  with  them  from  first  to  last," 
said  De  Forrest ;  "  the  uncouth,  ill-bred  crew.  I 
couldn't  endure  to  see  you,  Miss  Lottie,  going  around 
with  that  clod-hopper  of  a  farmer,  and  worst  of  all, 
how  could  you  touch  that  great  mountain  of  flesh 
they  called  Auntie  Lammer?  " 

"  Many  men  of  many  minds,"  trilled  out  Lottie  ; 
but  she  thought  of  Hemstead's  treatment  of  the 
poor  old  creature  in  contrast. 

"  Whoa  there,  steady  now,"  cried  Harcourt  to 
the  horses  ;  and  Hemstead,  though  sitting  with  his 
back  to  him,  noted  that  he  was  too  much  engrossed 
with  their  management  to  speak  often,  even  to  Addie 
who  sat  beside  him. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead  said  that  Auntie  Lammer  was 
more  than  a  duchess,"  added  Lottie  laughing. 

"  True,  she's  a  monster.  But  what  did  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  call  her?  " 

"  He  said  she  was  a  l  woman,'  and  was  as  polite 
as  if  paying  homage  to  universal  womanhood." 

"  I  think,"  said  De  Forrest  satirically,  "  that  Mr. 
Hemstead  might  have  found  a  better,  if  not  a  larger 
type  of  l  universal  womanhood  '  to  whom  he  could 
have  paid  his  homage.  I  was  not  aware  that  he 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  169 

regarded  bulk  as  the  most  admirable  quality  in 
woman.  Well,  he  does  not  take  a  narrow  view  of 
the  sex.  His  ideal  is  large." 

"Come,  Mr.  De  Forrest,"  said  Hemstead,  "  your 
wit  is  as  heavy  as  Mrs.  Lammer  herself,  and  she 
nearly  broke  my  back  going  down  stairs." 

"  Oh,  pardon  me.  It  was  your  back  that  suffered. 
I  thought  it  was  your  heart.  How  came  you  to  be 
so  excessively  polite  then  ?  " 

"  I  think  Miss  Marsden  is  indulging  in  a  bit  of 
fun  at  my  expense.  Of  course  a  gentleman  ought 
to  be  polite  to  any  and  every  woman,  because  she  is 
such.  Would  it  be  knightly  or  manly  to  bow  to  a 
duchess,  and  treat  some  poor  obscure  woman  as  if 
she  was  scarcely  human  ?  Chivalry,"  continued  he, 
laughing,  "  devoted  itself  to  woman  in  distress,  and 
if  ever  a  woman's  soul  was  burdened,  Aunt  Lammer's 
must  be.  But  how  do  you  account  for  this,  Mr. 
De  Forrest?  It  was  Miss  Marsden  that  took  pity 
on"  the  poor  creature  and  summoned  me  to  her  aid. 
She  was  more  polite  and  helpful  than  I." 

"  I  have  just  said  to  her  that  I  do  not  understand 
how  she  can  do  such  things  save  in  the  spirit  of 
mischief,"  he  replied,  discontentedly.  "  It  really 
pained  me  all  the  evening  to  see  you  in  contact  with 
such  people,"  he  added  tenderly,  aside  to  Lottie. 

"  Well,  I  can  understand  it,"  said  Hemstead, 
emphatically. 

"  I  suppose  Mr.  Hemstead  believes  in  the  brother 
hood,  and    therefore  the   sisterhood  of  the  race.     I 
was,  in  his  estimation,  taking  care  of  one  of  my  little 
8 


1 70  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

sisters  ;  ".  and  Lottie's  laugh  trilled  out  upon  the  still 
night. 

"  Whoa  now,  steady,  steady,  I  tell  you,"  cried 
Harcourt ;  and  all  noted  that  at  Lottie's  shrill  laugh 
the  horses  sprang  into  a  momentary  gallop. 

After  a  moment  Hemstead  replied,  "  You  are 
nearer  right  than  you  think.  In  weakness,  helpless 
ness,  and  childish  ignorance,  she  was  a  little  sister." 

"  Well,  so  be  it.  I  have  had  enough  of  Mrs. 
Lammer,  and  undeserved  praise.  Now  all  join  in 
the  chorus. 

"Three  fishers — "  and  she  sang  the  well-known 
song,  and  was  delighted  when  Hemstead,  for  the  first 
time,  let  out  his  rich  musical  bass. 

But  before  they  had  sung  through  the  first  stanza, 
Harcourt  turned  and  said  : 

"  You  must  be  still,  or  I  can't  manage  the 
horses." 

In  fact,  they  were  going  at  a  tremendous  pace, 
and  Hemstead  noted  that  Harcourt  was  nervous  and 
excited.  But  no  one  apprehended  any  danger. 

"  How  cold  and  distant  the  stars  seem  on  a 
winter  evening,"  said  Lottie,  after  a  moment's 
silence.  "  It  always  depresses  me  to  come  out  into 
the  night  after  an  evening  of  gayety  and  nonsense. 
There  is  a  calm  majesty  about  the  heavens  which 
makes  my  frivolity  seem  contemptible.  The  sky  to 
night  reminds  me  of  a  serene,  cold  face  looking  at  me 
in  silent  scorn.  How  fearfully  far  off  those  stars  are  ; 
and  yet  you  teach,  do  you  not,  Mr.  Hemstead,  that 
heaven  is  beyond  them  ?  " 


A   POSSIBLE    TRAGEDY.  I? I 

"But  that  Limbo,"  added  De  Forrest,  with  a 
satirical  laugh,  '  is  right  at  hand  in  the  centre  of 
the  earth,  and  therefore  handy." 

"  The  real  heaven,  Miss  Marsden,"  said  Hem- 
stead  gently,  "  is  where  there  are  happy,  trusting 
hearts.  Where  the  locality  is  I  do  not  know.  As 
to  that  nether  world,  if  you  know  its  location  you 
know  more  than  I  do,  Mr.  De  Forrest.  I  don't  pro 
pose  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  Prisons  may 
be  a  painful  necessity,  but  we  don't  fear  them  nor 
propose  to  go  to  them.  On  the  same  principle 
we  need  not  trouble  ourselves  about  God's  prison 
house." 

At  this  moment,  from  an  adjacent  farm-house,  a 
large  dog  came  bounding  out  with  clamorous  bark 
ing.  The  excited  horses  were  ready  at  the  slightest 
provocation  to  run,  and  now  broke  into  a  furious 
gallop.  Harcourt  sawed  on  the  bits  and  shouted  to 
them  in  vain.  He  was  slight  in  build,  and  not  very 
strong.  Moreover,  he  had  grown  nervous  and  chilled 
and  had  lost  his  own  self-control,  and  of  course  could 
not  control  the  powerful  creatures  that  were  fast 
passing  from  mere  excitement  into  the  wild  terror 
which  is  akin  to  a  panic  among  men  when  once  they 
give  way  before  danger. 

"  Good  God  !  "  exclaimed  Harcourt,  after  a  mo 
ment.  "  I  can't  hold  them,  and  we  are  near  the  top 
of  a  long  hill  with  two  sharp  turnings  on  the  side  of 
a  steep  bank,  and  there's  a  bridge  at  the  bottom. 
Whoa  !  curse  you,  whoa  !  " 

But  they  tore  on  the  more  recklessly.     Bel  and 


1/2  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

Addie  commenced  screaming,  and  this  increased  the 
fright  of  the  horses.  Hemstead  looked  searchingly 
for  a  moment  at  Lottie,  and  saw  with  a  thrill  that 
her  white  face  was  turned  to  him  and  not  to  De 
Forrest. 

"  Is  there  danger?  "  she  asked,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Good  God  !  "  exclaimed  Harcourt  again,  "  I 
can't  hold  them." 

Hemstead  rose  instantly,  and  turning  with  care  in 
the  swaying  sleigh  braced  himself  by  planting  one 
foot  on  the  middle  of  the  seat.  He  then  said 
quietly : 

"Will  you  give  me  the  reins,  Mr.  Harcourt?  I 
am  well  braced  and  quite  strong.  Perhaps  I  can 
manage  them." 

Harcourt  relinquished  the  reins  instantly. 

"  Hush  !  "  Hemstead  said  sternly  to  Addie  and 
Bel,  and  they  became  quiet,  the  weaker  minds  sub 
mitting  to  the  roused  and  master  mind. 

Fortunately  the  trouble  had  occurred  where  there 
was  a  straight  and  level  road,  and  a  little  of  this  still 
remained.  The  question  with  Hemstead  was  whether 
he  could  get  control  of  the  rushing  steeds  before  they 
reached  the  hill. 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS   SOMBRE  QUESTIONS. 

T  OTTIE  MARSDEN,  although  greatly  alarmed 
J — '  by  their  critical  situation,  was  naturally  too 
courageous  to  give  way  utterly  to  fear,  and  not  so 
terrified  but  that  she  could  note  all  Hemstead  did ; 
and  for  some  reason  believed  he  would  be  equal  to 
the  emergency.  His  confidence,  moreover,  commu 
nicated  itself  to  her.  She  saw  that  he  did  not  jerk  or 
saw  on  the  reins  at  first,  but  bracing  his  large  power 
ful  frame  drew  steadily  back,  and  that  the  horses 
yielded  somewhat  to  his  masterful  grasp. 

"  Pull,"  cried  Harcourt  excitedly;  "you  can  hold 
them." 

"  Yes,  jerk  their  cursed  heads  off,"  shouted  De 
Forrest,  in  a  way  that  proved  his  self-control  was 
nearly  gone. 

"  Hush,  I  tell  you,"  said  Hemstead  in  a  low 
tone.  "  I  might  break  the  lines  if  I  exerted  my 
whole  strength.  Then  where  would  we  be?  I  don't 
wish  to  put  any  more  strain  upon  them  than  I  must. 
See,  they  are  giving  in  more  and  more." 

"  But  the  hill  is  near,"  said  Harcourt. 

"  You  must  let  me  manage  in  my  own  way,"  said 
Hemstead.  "  Not  another  sound  from  any  one." 


174  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

Then  in  a  firm  tone,  strong  but  quiet  like  his 
grasp  upon  the  reins,  he  spoke  to  the  horses.  In 
three  minutes  more  he  had  them  prancing  with  many 
a  nervous  start,  but  completely  under  his  control 
down  the  first  descent  of  the  hill. 

"Will  you  take  the  reins  again?"  he  said  to 
Harcourt. 

"  No,  hang  it  all.  You  are  a  better  horseman 
than  I  am." 

"  Not  at  all,  Mr.  Harcourt.  I  am  heavier  and 
stronger  than  you  probably,  and  so  braced  that  I  had 
a  great  advantage.  You  had  no  purchase  on  them, 
and  were  chilled  by  long  driving." 

"  Where  did  you  learn  to  manage  horses  ? " 
asked  Lottie. 

"  On  our  Western  farm.  We  had  plenty  of  them. 
A  horse  is  almost  human — you  must  be  very  firm 
and  very  kind." 

"  Is  that  the  way  to  treat  the  '  human,'  "  said 
Lottie,  her  bold  and  somewhat  reckless  spirit  having 
so  far  recovered  itself  as  to  enable  her  to  laugh. 

"  Yes,  for  a  man,  if  he  attempts  to  manage  at  all ; 
but  I  suppose  the  majority  of  us  are  managed,  if  we 
would  only  acknowledge  it.  What  chance  has  a 
man  with  a  coaxing,  clever  woman  ?  " 

"  Look  there,"  said  Harcourt,  as  they  were  turn 
ing  the  first  sharp  angle  in  the  road  to  which  he  had 
referred.  "  Where  would  we  have  been  if  we  had 
gone  round  this  point  at  our  speed  when  I  held  the 
reins  ?  " 

The  steep  embankment,  with  grim  rocks  protrud- 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     1/5 

ing  from  the  snow  and  gnarled  trunks  of  trees,  was 
anything  but  inviting. 

"  Come,  De  Forrest,"  continued  Harcourt,  "  brush 
up  your  mathematics.  At  what  angle,  and  with 
what  degree  of  force,  would  we  have  swooped  down 
there  on  a  tangent,  when  the  horses  rounded  this 
curve." 

"  O-o-h  !  "  exclaimed  Lottie,  looking  shudderingly 
down  the  steep  bank  at  the  bottom  of  which  brawled 
•a  swift  stream  among  ice-capped  rocks.  "  It's  just  the 
place  for  a  tragedy.  We  were  talking  about  heaven 
and  the  other  place  when  the  horses  started,  were 
we  not  ?  Perhaps  we  were  nearer  one  or  the  other 
of  them  than  we  supposed." 

"  Oh  hush,  Lottie,"  cried  Bel,  still  sobbing  and 
trembling ;  "  I  wish  we  had  remained  at  home." 

"  I  echo  that  wish  most  decidedly,"  muttered 
De  Forrest.  "  The  whole  evening  has  been  like  a 
nightmare." 

"  I  am  sorry  my  expedition  has  been  a  source  of 
wretchedness  to  every-one,"  said  Lottie  coldly. 

"  Not  every-one,  I'm  sure, "said  Hemstead.  (i  Cer 
tainly  not  to  me.  Besides,  your  expedition  has  made 
a  pastor  and  a  whole  parish  happy,  and  I  also  dimly 
foresee  a  seat  in  Congress  for  Harcourt  as  a  result." 

"  Very  dimly  indeed,"  laughed  Harcourt.  "  Still, 
now  that  our  necks  are  safe,  thanks  to  Mr.  Hemstead, 
I'm  glad  I  went.  Human  nature  lies  on  the  surface 
out  at  Scrub  Oaks,  and  one  can  learn  much  about  it 
in  a  little  while.  Come,  little  coz,  cheer  up,"  he  said 
to  Addie,  drawing  her  closer  to  him.  "  See,  we  are 


176  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

down  the  hill  and  across  the  bridge.  No  danger  of 
the  horses  running  up  the  long  hill  before  us,  and  by 
the  time  they  reach  the  top  they  will  be  glad  to  go 
the  rest  of  the  way  quietly. 

"  You  had  better  take  the  reins  again,  Mr.  Har- 
court,"  said  Hemstead. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Hemstead,  please  drive,''  cried  the  ladies 
in  chorus. 

"  No,"  said  he  ;  "  Mr.  Harcourt  is  as  good  a  driver 
as  I  am.  It  was  only  a  question  of  strength  before." 

"  The  majority  is  against  me,"  laughed  Harcourt. 
"  I  won't  drive  any  more  to-night.  You  take  my 
place." 

"  Well,  if  you  all  wish  it ;   but  there's  no  need." 

"  Let  me  come  over,  too,  and  sit  between  you  and 
Bel,"  said  Addie  eagerly. 

"  No,  she  can  sit  with  Julian,"  said  Lottie,  "  and 
I  will  go  to  Mr.  Hemstead.  He  shall  not  be  left 
alone." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Lottie,  please  forgive  me,  pleaded  De 
Forrest ;  "  I  did  not  mean  what  I  said  a  moment 
since." 

"  Well,  I'll  forgive  you,  but  shall  punish  you  a 
little.  Stop  the  horses  again,  Mr.  Hemstead,  that  is, 
if  you  don't  object  to  my  company." 

The  horses  stopped  very  suddenly. 
•    "  Please  don't  leave  me,"  said  De  Forrest. 

"  It's  only  carrying  out  the  mischief  we  plotted, 
you  know,"  she  whispered. 

"  Well,  I  submit  on  that  ground  only,"  he  replied 
discontentedly,  and  with  a  shade  of  doubt  in  his 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     177 

mind.  It  seemed  very  strange  even  to  him,  that 
Lottie  could  coolly  continue  to  victimize  one  who 
had  just  rendered  them  so  great  a  service.  But  the 
truth  was,  that  she,  in  her  desire  to  escape  from  him, 
had  said  what  she  thought  would  be  apt  to  quiet  his 
objections  without  much  regard  for  the  truth.  She 
hardly  recognized  her  own  motive  for  wishing  to  sit 
by  Hemstead,  beyond  that  she  was  grateful,  and 
found  him  far  more  interesting  than  the  egotistical 
lover,  who  to-day,  for  some  reason,  had  proved  him 
self  very  wearisome. 

Hemstead  heard  nothing  of  this,  and  was  much 
pleased  when  Lottie  stepped  lightly  over  and  took 
her  place  sociably  at  his  side. 

"  It's  very  kind  of  you,"  he  said. 

"  I  didn't  come,  ou-t  of  kindness,"  she  replied,  in  a 
low  tone  for  his  ear  alone. 

"Why  then?" 

"  Because  I  wanted  to." 

"  I  like  that  reason  better  still." 

**  And  with  good  reason.  Will  you  take  me  again 
over  this  awful  road  to  see  Mrs.  Dlimm  ? '' 

"  With  great  pleasure." 

"  But  it's  such  a  long  drive.  You  will  get  cold 
driving." 

"  Oh,  no,  not  if  you  will  talk  to  me  so  pleasantly." 

"  I  won't  promise  how  I'll  talk.  In  fact  I  never 
know  what  I'll  do  when  with  you.  You  made  me  act 
very  silly  this  afternoon." 

"  Is  a  flower  silly  when  it  blooms?  " 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

a* 


178  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  You  wished  you  were  better." 

"  Oh,  I  see  ;  but  suppose  I  would  like  to  remain 
— for  awhile  at  least — a  wicked,  little,  undeveloped 
bud?" 

"  You  can't.  The  bud  must  either  bloom  or 
wither." 

"  Oh,  how  dismal !  Were  you  afraid,  Mr.  Hem- 
stead,  when  the  horses  were  running  !  I  was." 

"  I  was  anxious.  It  certainly  was  a  critical 
moment  with  that  hill  before  us." 

"  How  queer  that  we  should  have  been  talking  of 
the  future  state  just  then.  Suppose  that,  instead  of 
sitting  here  cosily  by  you,  I  were  lying  on  those 
rocks  over  there,  or  floating  in  that  icy  stream  bleed 
ing  and  dead  ?  " 

He  turned  and  gave  her  a  surprised  look,  and  she 
saw  the  momentary  glitter  of  a  tear  in  his  eye. 

"  Please  do  not  call  up  such  awful  pictures,"  he 
said. 

She  was  in  a  strangely  excited  and  reckless  mood, 
and  did  not  understand  herself.  Forces  that  she 
would  be  long  in  comprehending  were  at  work  in 
her  mind. 

Partly  for  the  sake  of  the  effect  upon  him,  and 
partly  as  the  outgrowth  of  her  strange  mood,  she 
continued,  in  a  low  tone  which  the  others  could 
not  hear : 

"  If  that  had  happened,  where  would  I  have  been 
now?  Just  think  of  it,  my  body  lying  over  there  in 
this  wild  gorge,  and,  I  myself,  going  away  alone  this 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     1/9 

wintry  night' — where  should  I  have  gone — where 
would  I  be  now?  " 

"  In  paradise,  I  trust,"  he  replied,  bending  upon 
her  a  searching  look.  Either  his  imagination  or  her 
thoughts  gave  her  face  a  strange  expression  as  seen 
in  the  uncertain  moonlight.  It  suggested  the  awed 
and  trembling  curiosity  with  which  she  might  have 
gone  forward  to  meet  the  dread  realities  of  the  unj 
known  world.  A  great  pity — an  intense  desire  to 
shield  and  rescue  her — filled  his  soul. 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  in  a  tone  that  thrilled  her 
in  connection  with  the  image  called  up,' "your  own 
words  seem  to  portray  you  standing  on  the  brink  of 
a  fathomless  abyss  into  which  you  are  looking  with 
fear  and  dread." 

"  You  understand  me  perfectly,"  she  said  ;  "  that 
is  just  where  I  stand,  but  it  is  like  looking  out  into 
one  of  those  Egyptian  nights  that  swallow  up  every 
thing,  and  there  is  nothing  but  a  great  blank  of 
darkness." 

"  It  must  be  so,"  said  Hemstead,  sighing  deeply. 
"  Only  the  clear  eyes  of  faith  can  see  across  the 
gulf.  But  you  are  a  brave  girl  to  stand  and  look  into 
the  gulf." 

"  Why  should  I  not  look  into  it?  "  she  asked,  in  a 
reckless  tone.  "  I've  been  brought  face  to  face  with 
it  to-night,  and  perhaps  shall  soon  be  again.  Ifs 
always  there.  If  I  had  to  go  over  Niagara,  I  should 
want  to  go  with  my  eyes  open." 

"  But  if  you  were  in  the  rapids  above  the  falls, 
would  you  not  permit  a  strong  hand  to  lift  you  out  ? 


180  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

Why  should  you  look  down  into  the  gulf?  Why  not 
look  up  to  heaven.  That  is  ' always  there*  just  as 
truly." 

"  Do  you  feel  sure  that  you  would  have  gone  to 
heaven  if  you  had  been  killed  to-night?" 

"  Yes,  perfectly  sure." 

"  You  are  very  good." 

"  No  ;  but  God  is." 

"  A  good  God  ought  to  prevent  such  awful  things." 

"  He  did,  in  this  case." 

"  No  ;  you  prevented  it." 

"  Suppose  the  horses  had  started  to  run  at  the 
top  of  the  hill  instead  of  where  it  was  level ;  suppose 
a  line  had  broken ;  suppose  the  horses  had  taken  the 
bits  in  their  teeth — I  could  not  hold  two  such  pow 
erful  animals.  Do  you  not  see  that  many  things 
might  have  happened  so  that  no  human  hand  could 
do  anything,  and  that  it  would  be  easy  for  an  all- 
powerful  being  to  so  arrange  and  shape  events  that 
we  would  either  escape  or  suffer,  as  He  chose,  in 
spite  of  all  that  we  could  do.  I  am  glad  to  think 
that  I  can  never  be  independent  of  Him." 

"  If  it  was  God's  will  that  they  should  stop,  what 
was  the  use  of  your  doing  anything?  " 

"  It  is  ever  God's  will  that  we  should  do  our  best 
in  all  emergencies.  He  will  help  only  those  who  try 
to  help  themselves.  He  calls  us  his  children,  not 
his  machines.  The  point  I  wish  to  make  is,  that 
when  we  do  our  best,  which  is  always  required  of  us, 
we  are  still  dependent  upon  Him." 

"  I  never  had  it  made  so  plain  before.     The  fact 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     l8l 

is,  Mr.  Hemstead,  I  don't  know  much  about  God, 
and  I  don't  half  understand  myself.  This  day  seems 
like  an  age.  I  have  had  so  many  strange  experi 
ences  since  I  stood  with  you  in  the  breakfast-room 
this  morning,  and  have  been  near,  perhaps,  still 
stranger  experiences  for  which  I  feel  little  prepared, 
that  I  am  excited  and  bewildered.  I  fear  you  think 
very  poorly  of  me." 

"You  do  often  puzzle  me  very  greatly,  Miss 
Marsden,"  he  replied.  "  But  I  think  you  are  prone 
to  do  yourself  injustice.  Still  that  is  far  better  than 
rjypocritical  seeming.  Whatever  your  fault  is,  you 
proved  to  me  last  night,  and  most  conclusively  again 
this  evening,  that  you  have  a  kind  generous  heart. 
More  than  all,  you  have  shown  yourself  capable  of 
the  noblest  things." 

Lottie  made  no  reply,  but  sat  silent  for  some 
time  ;  and,  having  reached  the  level  once  more,  Hem- 
stead  gave  his  attention  to  the  horses,  till  satisfied 
that  they  recognized  their  master  and  would  give  no 
further  trouble. 

"  Won't  you  sing  again  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  if  you  will  sing  with  me." 

"  I  would  rather  listen,  but  will  accept  your  con 
dition  when  I  can." 

She  would  only  sing  what  he  knew,  and  noted 
in  pleased  surprise  that  his  musical  culture  was  by 
no  means  trifling. 

"  How  could  you  take  time  from  your  grave  the 
ological  studies  for  such  a  comparatively  trifling  thing 
as  music?"  she  asked. 


1 82  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Some  practical  knowledge  of  music  is  no  trifling 
matter  with  me,"  he  replied.  "  In  view  of  my  pros 
pective  field  of  work,  next  to  learning  to  preach, 
learning  to  sing  is  the  most  important.  I  shall  have 
to  start  the  hymns,  as  a  general  thing,  and  often  sing 
them  alone." 

"  How  can  you  look  forward  to  such  a  life  ?  " 

"  I  can  look  forward  in  grateful  gladness.  I  only 
wish  I  were  more  worthy  of  my  work." 

"  Did  I  not  know  your  sincerity  I  should  say  that 
was  affectation." 

a  Who  was  it  that  preached  to  the  '  common  peq- 
ple,'  and  in  the  obscure  little  towns  of  Palestine  eigh 
teen  centuries  ago  ?  Am  I  better  than  my  Master?  '' 

"  You  are  far  better  than  I  am.  No  one  has  ever 
talked  to  me  as  you  have.  I  might  have  been  dif 
ferent  if  they  had." 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  said  Hemstead  earnestly,  as 
they  were  driving  up  the  avenue  to  the  Marchmont 
residence,  "  when  you  stood  beside  me  this  morning 
I  pointed  you  to  a  world  without,  whose  strange  and 
marvellous  beauty  excited  your  wonder  and  delight. 
You  seem  to  me  on  the  border  of  a  more  beautiful 
world — the  spiritual  world  of  love  and  faith  in  God, 
If  I  could  only  show  you  that,  I  would  esteem  it  the 
greatest  joy  of  my  life." 

"  That  is"  a  world  I  do  not  understand ;  nor  am 
I  worthy  to  enter  it,"  she  said  in  sudden  bitterness, 
"  and  I  fear  I  never  will  be ;  and  yet  I  thank  you 
ail  the  same." 

A  few  moments   later  they   were   sitting  round 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     183 

the  parlor  fire,  recounting  the  experiences  of  the 
evening. 

Before  entering  the  house  Lottie  had  said  : 

"  Let  us  say  nothing  about  runaway  horses  to 
aunt  and  uncle,  or  they  may  veto  future  drives." 

To  Hemstead's  surprise  Lottie  seemed  in  one  of 
her  gayest  moods,  and  he  was  reluctantly  compelled 
to  think  her  sketch  of  the  people  at  the  donation  a 
little  satirical  and  unfeeling.  But  while  she  was 
portraying  Hemstead  as  the  hero  of  the  occasion,  she 
had  the  tact  to  make  no  reference  to  Harcourt.  But 
he  generously  stated  the  whole  case,  adding  with  a 
light  laugh,  that  he  had  learned  once  for  all  that 
coaxing  and  wheedling  were  better  than  driving." 

"  Appealing  to  their  better  natures,  you  mean," 
said  Hemstead. 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  way  you  would  put  it." 

"  I  think  it's  the  true  way." 

"  Perhaps  it  is.  Human  nature  has  its  good  side 
if  one  can  only  find  it,  but  I'm  satisfied  that  it  won't 
drive  well." 

"  I  think  work  among  such  people  the  most  hope 
less  and  discouraging  thing  in  the  world,"  said  Mrs. 
Marchmont,  yawning. 

"  It  don't  seem  to  me  so,  aunt,"  said  Hemstead. 
"  On  the  contrary,  are  not  people  situated  as  they 
are  peculiarly  open  to  good  influences  ?  Next  to 
gospel  truth,  I  think  the  influence  of  refined,  cultured 
families  could  do  more  for  the  people  at  Scrub  Oaks 
than  anything  else.  If  they  did  not  alienate  the 
plain  people  by  exclusiveness  and  pride,  they  would 


1 84  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

soon  tone  them  up  and  refine  away  uncouthness  and 
unconscious  vulgarity  in  manners.  Let  me  give  you 
a  practical  instance  of  this  that  occurred  to-night.  I 
asked  a  pretty  young  girl  why  she  and  the  little 
group  around  her  had  given  up  the  kissing  games, 
and  she  replied  that  *  Miss  Marsden  had  said  that  no 
lady  played  such  games,  and  she  wouldn't  any  more.' 
Young  people  are  quick  and  imitative,  and  I  noticed 
that  they  watched  Miss  Marsden  as  if  she  were  a 
revelation  to  them,  and  many,  no  doubt,  obtained 
ideas  of  lady-like  bearing  and  manner  that  were 
entirely  new  to  them,  but  which  they  will  instinc 
tively  adopt.  I  think  she  would  be  surprised  if  she 
could  foresee  how  decided  and  lasting  an  influence 
this  brief  visit  of  one  evening  will  have  on  many  that 
were  present." 

"  But  refined  people  of  standing  cannot  meet 
with  such  a  class  socially,"  replied  his  aunt  with 
emphasis.  "  Such  a  mixing  up  would  soon  bring 
about  social  anarchy.  Lottie  is  a  little  peculiar,  and 
went  there  as  a  stranger  upon  a  frolic." 

"  Now,  auntie,  that  designation  '  peculiar '  is  a 
very  doubtful  compliment." 

11  I  didn't  mean  it  for  one,  my  dear,  though  I 
meant  no  reproach  in  it.  You  get  too  many  com 
pliments  as  it  is.  Frank,  like  all  young,  inexperi 
enced  people,  has  many  impractical  ideas,  that  time 
will  cure.  Young  enthusiasts  of  every  age  are  going 
to  turn  the  world  upside  down,  but  I  note  it  goes  on 
very  much  the  same." 

"  I  think  evil  has  turned  the  world  upside  down," 


MISS  MARSDEN  ASKS  SOMBRE   QUESTIONS.     185 

said  Hcmstead.  "  The  wrong  side  is  up  now,  and  it 
is  our  duty  to  turn  the  right  side  back  again.  We 
can't  carry  exclusiveness  beyond  this  brief  life. 
Why,  then,  make  it  so  rigid  here  ?  Jesus  Christ 
lived  the  model  life  for  all  the  world,  and  though 
chief  of  all,  he  was  the  friend  of  all." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont  in  some  con 
fusion,  "  we  can't  expect  to  be  like  Him.  Then 
what  is  appropriate  in  one  place  and  age  is  not  in 
another." 

"  No,  indeed,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lottie,  with 
twinkling  eyes.  "  I'd  have  you  to  understand  that 
the  religion  appropriate  to  our  place  and  age  is  one 
that  pleases  us." 

"  I  didn't  say  that,  Lottie,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont 
with  some  irritation. 

"  Very  true,  auntie,  but  I  did  !  and  as  far  as  I 
can  judge,  it's  true  in  New  York,  whatever  may  be 
the  case  in  the  country.  But  come,  we've  had  supper, 
and  have  kept  you  and  uncle  up  too  late  already. 
Kiss  your  saucy  niece  good-night ;  perhaps  I'll  be 
better,  one  of  these  days." 

"  If  kissing  will  make  you  better,  come  here  to 
me,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly.  "  I  wouldn't  mind  doing 
a  little  missionary  work  of  that  kind." 

"  No,  indeed,"  laughed  Harcourt ;  "  we'll  all  turn 
missionaries  on  those  terms." 

"  Yes,"  said  De  Forrest,  "  I'll  promise  to  be  a 
devoted  missionary  all  my  life." 

"  There,  I  said  that  you  would  have  a  religion 


1 86  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

you  liked,"  retorted  Lottie,  pirouetting  to  the  din 
ing-room  door.  "  But  I'm  too  far  gone  for  any  such 
mild  remedies.  There's  Bel,  she's  trying  to  be  good. 
You  may  all  kiss  her  ;  "  and  with  a  look  at  Hemstead 
he  did  not  understand,  she  vanished. 


A   LOVER   QUENCHED.  l8/ 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

A  LOVER  QUENCHED. 

BEL  followed  her  friend  to  their  room,  full  of 
irritable  reproaches.  But  Lottie  puzzled  her 
again,  as  she  had  before  that  day.  Gayety  van 
ished  from  the  face  as  light  from  a  clouded  land 
scape,  and  with  an  expression  that  was  even  scowling 
and  sullen  she  sat  brooding  before  the  fire,  heeding 
Bel's  complaining  words  no  more  than  she  would  the 
patter  of  rain  against  the  window. 

Then  Bel  changed  the  tune  ;  retaining  the  same 
minor  key,  however. 

"  I  suppose  now  that  you  will  give  up  your 
shameful  plot  against  Mr.  Hemstead,  as  a  matter  of 
course." 

"  I  don't  know  what  I'll  do,"  snapped  Lottie. 

"  Don't  know  what  you'll  do  !  Why  he  about 
the  same  as  saved  our  lives  this  evening." 

"  He  saved  his  own  at  the  same  time." 

"  Well,"  said  Bel  exasperatingly,  "  I  wish  Mr. 
Hemstead  and  all  who  heard  the  fine  speeches  about 
your  '  kind,  generous  heart '  could  hear  you  now." 

"  I  wish  they  could,"  said  Lottie  recklessly. 
"  They  couldn't  have  a  worse  opinion  of  me  than  I 
have  of  myself." 


1 88  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

i  "  But  what  do  you  intend  to  do  about  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  ?  " 

"  I  don't  intend  to  do  anything  about  him.  I 
half  wish  I  had  never  seen  him." 

"  That  you  can  trifle  with  him  after  what  has 
happened  to-night,  is  something  that  I  did  not  think, 
even  of  you,  Lottie  Marsden." 

"  I  haven't  said  I  was  going  to  '  trifle  with  him.' 
He's  a  man  you  can't  trifle  with.  The  best  thing  I 
can  do,  is  to  let  him  alone." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  think." 

"  Very  well  then,  go  to  sleep  and  be  quiet." 

"  How  long  are  you  going  to  sit  '  mooning  * 
there  ?  " 

"  Till  morning,  if  I  wish.     Don't  bother  me." 

"  After  coming  so  near  having  your  neck  broken, 
you  ought  to  be  in  a  better  frame  of  mind." 

"  So  had  you.  Neither  breaking  my  neck  nor 
coming  near  it  will  convert  me." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  will  get  through  your  moods 
and  tenses  to-day.  You  have  had  more  than  I  ever 
remember  within  so  short  a  time  ;  "  with  this  com 
forting  statement,  Bel  left  her  friend  to  herself,  who 
sat  staring  into  the  fire,  in  the  most  discontented 
manner. 

*'  '  Capable  of  the  noblest  things,'  indeed,"  she 
thought.  "  I  would  like  to  know  who  is  capable  of 
meaner  things.  And  now  what  do  you  intend  to  do, 
Lottie  Marsden  ?  Going  on  with  your  foolish,  child 
ish  jest,  after  the  fun  has  all  faded  out  of  it  ?  If  you 
do,  you  will  make  a  fool  of  yourself  instead  of  him. 


A   LOVER   QUENCHED.  189 

He  is  not  the  man  you  thought  he  was,  at  all.  He 
is  your  superior  in  every  respect,  save  merely  in  the 
ease  which  comes  from  living  in  public  instead  of 
seclusion,  and  in  all  his  diffidence  there  has  been 
nothing  so  rude  and  ill-bred  as  Julian's  treatment  of 
Mrs.  Dlimm.  Julian  indeed  !  He's  but  a  well-dressed 
little  manikin  beside  this  large-minded  man,"  and 
she  scowled  more  darkly  than  ever  at  the  fire. 

"  But  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  can't  be  such  a  Chris 
tian  as  Bel  is.  I  would  rather  not  be  one  at  all. 
What's  more,  I  cannot  bring  my  mind  to  decide  to 
be  such  a  Christian  as  Mr.  Hemstead  is.  I  would 
have  to  change  completely,  and  give  up  my  old  self- 
pleasing  and  wayward  life,  and  that  seems  like  giving 
up  life  itself.  Religion  is  a  bitter  medicine  that  I 
must  take  some  time  or  other.  But  the  idea  of 
sobering  down  at  my  time  of  life  !  " 

"  But  you  may  not  live  to  see  age.  Think  what 
a  risk  you  ran  to-night,"  urged  conscience. 

"  Well,  I  must  take  my  chances.  A  plague  on 
that  Hemstead  !  I  can't  be  with  him  ten  minutes  but 
he  makes  me  uncomfortable  in  doing  wrong.  All  was 
going  smoothly  till  he  came,  and  life  was  one  long 
frolic.  Now  he  has  got  my  conscience  all  stirred  up 
so  that  between  them  both  I  shall  have  little  comfort 
I  won't  go  with  him  to  Mrs.  Dlimm's  to-morrow. 
He  will  talk  religion  to  me  all  the  time,  and  I,  like  a 
big  baby,  will  cry,  and  he  will  think  I  am  on  the  eve 
of  conversion,  and  perhaps  will  offer  to  take  me  out 
among  the  border  ruffians  as  an  inducement.  If  I 
want  to  live  my  old  life,  and  have  a  good  time,  the 


FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

less  I  see  of  Frank  Hemstead  the  better,  for  some 
how  or  other,  when  I  am  with  him  I  can't  help  seeing 
that  he  is  right,  and  feeling  mean  in  my  wrong.  I 
will  just  carry  out  my  old  resolution,  and  act  as  badly 
as  I  can.  He  will  then  see  what  I  am,  and  let  me 
alone." 

Having  formed  this  resolution,  Lottie  slept  as 
sweetly  as  innocence  itself. 

To  Hemstead,  with  his  quiet  and  regular  habits, 
the  day  had  been  long  and  exciting,  and  he  was 
exceedingly  weary  ;  and  yet  thoughts  of  the  brilliant 
and  beautiful  girl,  who  bewildered,  fascinated,  and 
awoke  his  sympathy  at  the  same  time,  kept  him 
awake  till  late.  Every  scene  in  which  they  had  been 
together  was  lived  over  in  all  its  minutiae,  and  his  con 
clusions  were  favorable.  As  he  had  said  to  her,  she 
seemed  "  capable  of  the  noblest  things."  And  the 
fact  that  she  appeared  so  open  to  the  truth  and  so 
impressible,  inspired  the  strongest  hope. 

"  She  never  has  had  a  chance,"  he  thought.  "  She 
never  has  given  truth  a  fair  hearing,  probably  having 
had  slight  opportunity  to  do  so.  From  the  little  I 
have  seen  and  heard,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  rich 
and  fashionable  are  as  neglected — indeed  it  would 
appear  more  difficult  to  bring  before  them  the  simple 
and  searching  gospel  of  Christ,  than  the  very  poor." 

Hemstead  determined  that  he  would  be  faithful 
and  would  bring  the  truth  to  her  attention  in  every 
possible  way,  feeling  that  if  during  this  holiday  visit 
he  could  win  such  a  trophy  for  the  cause  to  which  he 
had  devoted  himself,  it  would  be  an  event  that  would 


A   LOVER   QUENCHED.  19 1 

shed  a  cheering  light  down  to  the  very  end  of  his 
life. 

It  was  a  rather  significant  fact,  which  did  not 
occur  to  him,  however,  that  his  zeal  and  interest  were 
almost  entirely  concentrated  on  Lottie.  His  cousin 
Addie,  and  indeed  all  the  others,  seemed  equally  in 
need. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  some  sinners  are  much 
more  interesting  than  others,  and  Hemstead  had 
never  met  one  half  so  interesting  as  Lottie. 

And  yet  his  interest  in  her  was  natural.  He  had 
not  reached  that  lofty  plane  from  which  he  could 
look  down  with  equal  sympathy  for  all.  Do  any 
reach  it,  in  this  world  ? 

Lottie  had  seemed  kind  to  him  when  others  had 
been  cold  and  slightly  scornful.  He  had  come  to  see 
clearly  that  she  was  not  a  Christian,  and  that  she  was 
not  by  any  means  faultless  through  the  graces  of 
nature.  But  she  had  given  ample  proof  that  she  had 
a  heart  which  could  be  touched,  and  a  mind  capable 
of  appreciating  and  being  aroused  by  the  truth.  That 
her  kindness  to  him  was  only  hollow  acting,  he  never 
dreamed,  and  it  was  well  for  her  that  he  did  not 
suspect  he*  falseness,  for  with  all  her  beauty  he  would 
have  revolted  from  her  at  once.  He  could  forgive 
anything  sooner  than  the  meanness  of  deception.  If 
he  discovered  the  practical  joke,  it  would  be  a  sorry 
jest  for  Lottie,  for  she  would  have  lost  a  friend  who 
appeared  able  to  help  her  ;  and  he,  in  his  honest  indig 
nation,  would  have  given  her  a  portrait  of  herself  that 


IQ2  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

would  have  humiliated  her  proud  spirit  in  a  way  that 
could  never  be  forgotten. 

But  with  the  unquenchable  hope  of  youth  in  his 
heart,  and  his  boundless  faith  in  God,  he  expected 
that,  at  no  distant  day,  Lottie's  remarkable  beauty 
would  be  the  index  of  a  truer  spiritual  loveliness. 

But,  as  is  often  the  case,  the  morning  dispelled 
the  dreams  of  the  night,  to  a  degree  that  quite  per 
plexed  and  disheartened  him.  Lottie's  greeting  in 
the  breakfast-room  was  not  very  cordial,  and  she 
seemed  to  treat  him  with  cool  indifference  through 
out  the  whole  meal.  There  was  nothing  that  the 
others  would  note,  but  something  that  he  missed 
himself.  Occasionally,  she  would  make  a  remark 
that  would  cause  him  to  turn  toward  her  with  a  look 
of  pained  surprise,  which  both  vexed  and  amused 
her ;  but  he  gave  no  expression  to  his  feelings,  save 
that  he  became  grave  and  silent. 

After  breakfast  Lottie  said  nothing  to  him  about 
their  visit  to  Mrs.  Dlimm,  from  which  he  expected  so 
much.  Having  waited  some  time  in  the  parlor,  he 
approached  her  timidly  as  she  was  passing  through 
the  hall,  and  said  : 

"  When  would  you  like  to  start  upon  our  pro 
posed  visit?  " 

"  Oh,  I  forgot  to  say  to  you,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  she 
replied  rather  carelessly,  "  that  I've  changed  my 
mind.  It's  a  very  long  drive,  and,  after  all,  Mrs. 
Dlimm  is  such  an  utter  stranger  to  me,  that  I  scarcely 
care  to  go." 

But    under    her    indifferent    seeming,   she    was 


A    LOVER   QUENCHED.  193 

watching  keenly  to  see  how  he  would  take  this 
rebuff.  He  flushed  deeply,  but  to  her  surprise,  only 
bowed  acquiescence,  and  turned  to  the  parlor.  She 
expected  that  he  would  remonstrate,  and  endeavor  to 
persuade  her  to  carry  out  her  agreement.  She  was 
accustomed  to  pleading  and  coaxing  on  the  part  of 
young  men,  to  whom,  however,  she  granted  her 
favors  according  to  her  moods  and  wishes.  While 
she  saw  that  he  was  deeply  hurt  and  disappointed, 
his  slightly  cold  and  silent  bow  was  a  different  ex 
pression  of  his  feeling  than  she  desired.  She  wanted 
to  take  the  ride,  and  might  have  been  persuaded  into 
going,  in  spite  of  her  purpose  to  keep  aloof,  and  she 
was  vexed  with  him  that  he  did  not  urge  her  as 
De  Forrest  would  have  done. 

Therefore  the  spoiled  and  capricious  beauty  went 
up  to  her  room  more  "  out  of  sorts  "  than  ever,  and 
sulkily  resolved  that  she  would  not  appear  till  dinner. 
'In  the  mean  time,  Hemstead  went  to  his  aunt 
and  informed  her  that  he  would  take  the  morning 
train  for  New  York,  and  would  not  return  till  the 
following  evening. 

"  Very  well,  Frank,"  she  replied  ;  "  act  your  pleas 
ure.  Come  and  go  as  you  like." 

The  good  lady  was  entertaining  her  nephew  more 
from  a  sense  of  duty  than  anything  else.  From 
their  difference  in  tastes,  he  added  little  to  her 
enjoyment,  and  was  sometimes  a  source  of  discom 
fort  ;  and  so  would  not  be  missed. 

Lottie  had  a  desperately  long  and  dismal  time 
of  it.  Either  the  book  she  tried  to  read  was  stupid, 
9 


IQ4  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

or  there  was  something  wrong  with  her.  At  last  she 
impatiently  sent  it  flying  across  the  room,  and 
went  to  the  window.  The  beautiful  winter  morning 
aggravated  her  still  more. 

"  Suppose  he  had  talked  religion  to  me,"  she 
thought,  "  he  at  least  makes  it  interesting,  and  any 
thing  would  have  been  better  than  moping  here. 
What  a  fool  I  was,  not  to  go  !  What  a  fool  I  am,  any 
way  !  He  is  the  only  one  I  ever  did  act  toward  as  a 
woman  might  and  ought — even  in  jest.  He  is  the 
only  one  that  ever  made  me  wish  I  were  a  true 
woman,  instead  of  a  vain  flirt  ;  and  the  best  thing 
my  wisdom  could  devise  after  I  found  'out  his  bene 
ficent  power,  was  to  give  him  a  slap  in  the  face,  and 
shut  myself  up  with  a  stupid  novel.  *  Capable  of 
noble  things  !  '  I  imagine  he  has  changed  his  mind 
this  morning. 

"Well,  what  if  he  has?  A  plague  upon  him  !  I 
wish  he  had  never  come,  or  I  had  stayed  in  New 
York.  I  foresee  that  I  am  going  to  have  an  awfully 
stupid  time  here  in  the  country." 

Thus  she  irritably  chafed,  through  the  long  hours. 
She  would  not  go  down  stairs  as  she  wished  to, 
because  she  had  resolved  that  she  would  not.  But 
she  half  purposed  to  try  and  bring  about  the  visit  to 
Mrs.  Dlimm  in  the  afternoon,  if  possible,  and  would 
'now  go  willingly,  if  asked. 

At  the  first  welcome  sound  of  the  dinner  bell  she 
sped  down  stairs,  and  glanced  into  the  parlor  hoping 
he  might  be  there,  and  that  in  some  way  she  might 
still  bring  about  the  ride.  But  she  only  found  De 


A   LOVER   QUENCHED.  195 

Forrest  yawning  over  a  newspaper,  and  had  to  endure 
his  sentimental  reproaches  that  she  had  absented 
herself  so  long  from  him. 

"  Come  to  dinner/'  was  her  only  and  rather  pro 
saic  response.  But  De  Forrest  went  cheerfully,  for 
dinner  was  something  that  he  could  enjoy  under  any 
circumstances. 

To  Lottie's  disappointment,  Mr.  Dimmerly  mum 
bled  grace,  and  still  Hemstead  did  not  appear.  For 
some  reason  she  did  not  like  to  ask  where  he  was, 
and  was  provoked  at  herself  because  of  her  hesitancy. 
The  others  who  knew  of  his  departure,  supposed  she 
was  aware  of  it  also.  At  last  her  curiosity  gained 
the  mastery,  and  she  asked  her  aunt  with  an  indiffer 
ence,  not  so  well  assumed  but  that  her  color  height 
ened  a  little : 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 

"  He  went  down  to  the  city,"  replied  Mrs.  March- 
mont  carelessly. 

The  impulsive  girl's  face  showed  her  disappoint 
ment  and  vexation,  but  she  saw  that  quick-eyed  Bel 
was  watching  her.  She  wished  her  friend  back  in 
New  York ;  and,  with  partial  success,  sought  to  appear 
as  usual. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  she  thought,  "  what  shall  I  do  with 
myself  this  afternoon.  I  can't  endure  Julian's  moon 
ing.  I  wish  Mr.  Harcourt  was  here,  so  we  could  get 
up  some  excitement."  Without  excitement  Lottie 
was  as  dull  and  wretched  as  all  victims  of  stimulants, 
left  to  their  own  resources. 

But  the  fates  were  against  her.     Harcourt  would 


r 
196  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

not  be  back  till  evening,  and  she  did  not  know  "when 
Hemstead  would  return.  Addie  and  Bel  vanished 
after  dinner,  and  De  Forrest  offered  to  read  to  her. 
She  assented,  having  no  better  prospect. 

She  ensconced  herself  luxuriously  under  an  afghan 
upon  the  sofa,  while  the  persistent  lover,  feeling  that 
this  would  be  his  favored  opportunity,  determined  to 
lay  close  siege  to  her  heart,  and  win  a  definite  prom 
ise,  if  possible.  For  this  purpose  he  chose  a  romantic 
poem,  which,  at  a  certain  point,  had  a  very  tender 
and  love-infused  character.  Here  he  purposed  to 
throw  down  the  book  in  a  melodramatic  manner, 
and  pass  from  the  abstract  to  reality,  and  from  the 
third  person  to  the  first.  He  was  more  familiar  with 
stage  effects  than  anything  else,  and  had  planned  a 
pretty  little  scene.  As  Lo-ttie  reclined  upon  the 
sofa,  he  could  very  nicely  and  comfortably  kneel, 
take  her  hand,  and  gracefully  explain  the  con 
dition  of  his  heart :  and  she  was  certainly  in  a  com 
fortable  position  to  hear. 

A  man  less  vain  than  De  Forrest  would  not  have 
gathered  much  encouragement  from  Lottie's  face, 
for  it  had  a  very  weary  and  bored  expression  as  he 
commenced  the  rather  stilted  and  very  sentimental 
introduction  to  the  "  gush  "  that  was  to  follow. 

She  divined  his  purpose  as  she  saw  him  sum 
moning  to  his  aid  all  his  rather  limited  elocutionary 
powers,  and  noted  how  he  gave  to  every  line,  that 
verged  toward  love,  the  tenderest  accent. 

But  the  satirical  side-gleam  from  her  eyes,  as  she 
watched  him,  was  anything  but  responsive  or  condu- 


A   LOVER   QUENCHED.  1 97 

cive  to  sentiment ;  and  finally,  as  she  became  satisfied 
of  his  object,  the  smile  that  flitted  across  her  face 
would  have  quenched  the  most  impetuous  declaration 
as  effectually  as  a  mill-pond  might  a  meteor. 

But  Julian,  oblivious  of  all  this,  was  growing 
pathetic  and  emotional ;  and  if  she  escaped  the  scene 
at  all,  she  must  act  promptly. 

She  did  so,  for  in  five  minutes,  to  all  intents  and 
appearances  she  was  asleep. 

At  first,  when  he  glanced  up  to  emphasize  a  pecu 
liarly  touching  line,  he  thought  she  had  closed  her 
eyes  to  hide  her  feelings  ;  but  at  last,  when  he  reached 
the  particular  and  soul-melting  climax  that  was  to 
prepare  the  way  for  his  own  long-desired  crisis,  hav 
ing  given  the  final  lines  in  a  tone  that  he  thought 
would  move  a  marble  heart,  he  laid  the  book  down 
to  prepare  for  action,  the  dreadful  truth  dawned  upon 
him.  She  was  asleep  ! 

What  could  he  do  ?  To  awaken  her,  and  then  go 
forward,  would  not  answer.  People  were  generally 
cross  when  disturbed  in  their  sleep ;  and  he  knew 
Lottie  was  no  exception.  He  was  deeply  mortified 
and  disappointed. 

He  got  up  and  stalked  tragically  and  frowningly 
to  the  hearth-rug,  and  stared  at  the  apparently 
peaceful  sleeper,  and  then  flung  himself  out  of  the 
room,  very  much  as  he  was  accustomed  to  when  a 
spoiled  and  petulant  boy. 

After  he  was  gone,  Lottie  quivered  with  laughter 
for  a  few  moments ;  then  stole  away  to  her  room, 
where  she  blotted  out  the  weary  hour  with  sleep 
unfeigned,  until  aroused  by  the  supper-bell. 


198  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER   XW. 

LOTTIE  A    MYSTERIOUS   PROBLEM. 

A  FTER  a  brief  toilet,  Lottie  came  down  to  tea 
<L\-  looking  like  an  innocent  little  lamb  that  any 
wolf  could  beguile  and  devour.  She  smiled  on  De 
Forrest  so  sweetly  that  the  cloud  began  to  pass  from 
his  brow  at  once. 

"  Why  should  I  be  angry  with  her?  "  he  thought ; 
"  she  did  not  understand  what  I  was  aiming  at,  and 
probably  supposed  that  I  meant  to  read  her  asleep  ; 
and  yet  I  would  have  thought  that  the  tones  of  my 
voice — well,  well,  Lottie  has  been  a  little  spoiled  by 
too  much  devotion.  She  has  become  accustomed  to 
it,  and  takes  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  When  we  are 
married,  the  devotion  must  be  on  the  other  side  of 
the  house." 

"  I  thought  Mr.  Hemstead  would  be  back  this 
evening?"  she  said  to  her  aunt. 

"  No,  not  till  to-morrow  evening.  You  seem  to 
miss  Frank  very  much." 

Then  Lottie  was  provoked  to  find  herself  blush 
ing  like  a  school-girl,  but  she  said,  laughingly : 

"  How  penetrating  you  are,  auntie.  I  do  miss 
him,  in  a  way  you  cannot  understand." 

But  the  others  understood  the  remark  as  refer- 


LOTTIE  A   MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.  199 

ring  to  her  regret  that  he  had  escaped  from  her  wiles 
as  the  victim  of  their  proposed  jest,  and  Bel  shot  a 
reproachful  glance  at  her.  She  could  not  know  that 
Lottie  had  said  this  to  throw  dust  into  their  eyes,  and 
to  account  for  her  sudden  blush,  which  she  could  not 
account  for  to  herself. 

Before  supper  was  over,  Harcourt  came  in  with 
great  news,  which  threw  Addie  into  a  state  of 
feverish  excitement,  and  greatly  interested  all  the 
others. 

"  Mrs.  Byram,  her  son,  and  two  daughters,  have 
come  up  for  a  few  days  to  take  a  peep  at  the  country 
in  winter,  and  enjoy  some  sleigh-riding.  I  met  Hal 
Byram,  and  drove  in  with  him.  Their  large  house  is 
open  from  top  to  bottom,  and  full  of  servants,  and  to 
morrow  evening  they  are  going  to  give  a  grand  party. 
There  are  invitations  for  you  all.  They  expect  most 
of  their  guests  from  New  York,  however." 

Even  languid  Bel  brightened  at  the  prospect  of 
so  much  gayety  ;  and  thoughts  of  Hemstead  and 
qualms  of  conscience  vanished  for  the  time  from 
Lottie's  mind.  The  evening  soon  passed,  with  cards 
and  conjectures  as  to  who  would  be  there,  and  the 
day  following,  with  the  bustle  of  preparation. 

"  I  don't  believe  Frank  will  go  to  a  such  party," 
said  Addie,  as  the  three  girls  and  De  Forrest  were 
together  in  the  afternoon. 

"  Let  us  make  him  go  by  all  means,"  said  Lottie. 
"  He  needn't  know  what  kind  of  a  party  it  is,  and  it 
will  be  such  fun  to  watch  him.  I  would  not  be  sur 
prised  if  he  and  Mrs.  Byram  mutually  shocked  each 


2OO  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

other.  We  can  say  merely  that  we  have  all  been 
invited  out  to  a  little  company,  and  that  it  would  be 
rude  in  him  not  to  accompany  us." 

Mrs.  Marchmont  was  asked  not  to  say  anything 
to  undeceive  Hemstead. 

"  It  will  do  him  good  to  see  a  little  of  the  world," 
said  Lottie  ;  and  the  lady  thought  so  too. 

The  others  were  under  the  impression  that  Lot 
tie  still  purposed  carrying  out  her  practical  joke 
against  Hemstead.  At  the  time  when  he  had  saved 
them  from  so  much  danger  the  evening  before,  they 
felt  that  their  plot  ought  to  be  abandoned,  and  as  it 
was,  they  had  mainly  lost  their  relish  for  it.  Hem- 
stead  had  not  proved  so  good  a  subject  for  a  practical 
joke  as  they  expected.  But  they  felt  that  if  Lottie 
chose  to  carry  it  on,  that  was  her  affair,  and  if  there 
were  any  fun  in  prospect,  they  would  be  on  hand  to 
enjoy  it.  The  emotions  and  virtuous  impulses  in 
spired  by  their  moment  of  peril  had  faded  almost 
utterly  away,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  this  style 
of  repentance.  Even  Bel  was  growing  indifferent  to 
Lottie's  course.  Harcourt,  who  with  all  his  faults 
had  good  and  generous  traits,  was  absent  on  busi 
ness,  and  had  partially  forgotten  the  design  against 
Hemstead,  and  supposed  that  anything  definite  had 
been  given  up  on  account  of  the  service  rendered  to 
them  all. 

Lottie  was  drifting.  She  did  not  know  what 
would  be  her  action.  The  child  of  impulse,  the 
slave  of  inclination,  with  no  higher  aim  than  to  enjoy 
the  passing  hour,  she  could  not  keep  a  good  resolve, 


LOTTIE  A   MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.  201 

if  through  some  twinges  of  conscience  she  made  one. 
She  had  proposed  to  avoid  Hemstead,  for  while  he 
interested,  he  also  disquieted  and  filled  her  with  self- 
dissatisfaction. 

And  yet  for  this  very  reason  he,  was  fascinating. 
Other  men  admired,  flattered,  and  bowed  to  her  in 
unvarying  and  indiscriminating  homage.  Hemstead 
not  only  admired  but  respected  and  esteemed  her 
for  the  good  qualities  that  she  had  simulated,  and 
with  equal  sincerity  and  frankness  had  recognized 
faults  and  failures.  She  had  been  admired  all  her 
life,  but  respect  and  esteem  from  a  true,  good  man 
was  a  new  offering,  and  even  though  obtained  by 
fraud  was  as  delightful  as  it  was  novel.  She  still 
wished  to  stand  well  in  his  estimation,  though  why, 
she  hardly  knew.  She  was  now  greatly  vexed  with 
herself  that  she  had  refused  to  visit  Mrs.  Dlimm. 
She  was  most  anxious  that  he  should  return,  in  order 
that  she  might  discover  whether  he  had  become  dis 
gusted  with  her  ;  for,  in  the  knowledge  of  her  own 
wrong  action,  she  unconsciously  gave  him  credit  for 
knowing  more  about'  her  than  he  did. 

She  had  no  definite  purpose  for  the  future. 
Instead  of  coolly  carrying  out  a  deliberate  plot,  she 
was  merely  permitting  herself  to  be  carried  along 
by  a  subtle  undercurrent  of  interest  and  inclination, 
which  she  did  not  understand,  or  trouble  herself  to 
analyze.  She  had  felt  a  passing  interest  in  gentle 
men  before,  and  which  proved  but  passing.  This 
was  no  doubt  a  similar  case,  with  some  peculiar  and 
piquant  elements  added.  A  few  weeks  in  New  York 
9* 


2O2  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

after  her  visit  was  over,  and  he  would  fade  from 
thought  and  memory,  and  pass  below  the  horizon  as 
other  stars  that  had  dazzled  for  a  time.  The  honest 
old  counsellor,  conscience,  recklessly  snubbed  and  dis 
missed,  had  retired,  with  a  few  plain  words,  for  the 
time,  from  the  unequal  contest. 

She  met  Hemstead  at  the  door  on  his  return,  and 
held  out  her  hand,  saying  cordially  : 

"  I'm  ever  so  glad  to  see  you.  It  seems  an  age 
since  you  left  us." 

His  face  flushed  deeply  with  pleasure  at  her  words 
and  manner.  Expecting  a  cool  and  indifferent  recep 
tion,  he  had  proposed  to  be  dignified  and  reserved 
himself.  And  yet  her  manner  on  the  morning  of  his 
departure  pained  him  deeply,  and  disappointed  him. 
It  did  not  fulfill  the  promise  of  the  previous  day,  and 
he  was  again  sorely  perplexed.  But  his  conclusion 
was  partly  correct. 

"  She  is  resisting  the  truth.  She  sees  what 
changes  in  her  gay  life  are  involved  by  its  accept- 
tance ;  and  therefore  shuns  coming  under  its  in 
fluence."  , 

He  deeply  regretted  her  action,  but  felt  that  only 
the  Divine  Spirit  could  awaken  a  docile  interest,  and 
give  a  receptive  heart,  and  frequently  had  appealed 
to  Heaven  in  her  behalf  during  his  absence. 

What  a  strange  power  this  is  that  God  has  be 
stowed  upon  us!  There  is  some  one  that  we  long  to 
influence  and  change  for  the  better.  That  one  may 
know  our  wish  and  purpose,  recognize  our  efforts,  but 
quietly  baffle  us  by  an  independent  will  that  we  can 


LOTTIE  A    MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.  2O3 

no  more  coerce  and  control  than  by  our  breath  soften 
into  spring  warmth  a  wintry  morning.  We  can  look 
pleadingly  into  some  dear  one's  eyes,  clasp  his  hands 
and  appeal  with  even  tearful  earnestness,  and  yet  he 
may  remain  unmoved,  or  be  but  transiently  affected. 
Though  by  touch  or  caress,  by  convincing-arguments 
and  loving  entreaty,  we  may  be  unable  to  shake  the 
obdurate  will,  we  can  gently  master  it  through  the 
intervention  of  another.  The  throne  of  God  seems 
a  long  way  round  to  reach  the  friend  at  our  side— 
for  the  mother  to  reach  her  child  in  her  arms,  but  it 
usually  proves  the  quickest  and  most  effectual  way. 
Where  before  there  was  only  resistance  and  indif 
ference,  there  comes,  in  answer  to  prayer,  strange 
relentings,  mysterious  longings,  receptivity,  and  some 
times,  in  a  way  that  is  astonishing,  full  acceptance 
of  the  truth. 

"  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,"  were  the 
words  of  the  all-powerful  One,  of  the  beautiful  and 
mysterious  emblem  of  his  own  mysterious  and  trans 
forming  presence. 

Again  he  said,  "  How  much  more  shall  your 
Heavenly  Father  give  the  holy  Spirit  to  them  that 
ask  Him." 

Here  is  a  power,  a  force,  an  agency,  that  the  ma 
terialist  cannot  calculate,  weigh,  or  measure,  nor 
laugh  scornfully  out  of  existence. 

As  upon  a  sultry  night  a  breeze  comes  rustling 
through  the  leaves  from  unknown  realms  of  space, 
and  cools  our  throbbing  temples,  so  the  soul  is  often 


204  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

stirred  and  moved  by  impulses  heavenward,  that  are 
to  their  subjects  as  mysterious  as  unexpected. 

To  a  certain  extent,  God  gives  to  the  prayerful 
control  of  Himself,  as  it  were,  and  becomes  their 
willing  agent ;  and  when  the  time  comes  when  all 
mysteries  are  solved,  and  the  record  of  all  lives  is 
truthfully  revealed,  it  will  probably  be  seen  that  not 
those  who  astonished  the  world  with  their  own  powers, 
but  that  those  who  quietly,  through  prayer,  used 
God's  power,  were  the  ones  who  made  the  world 
move  forward. 

While  Hemstead  would  never  be  a  Mystfc  or  a 
Quietest  in  his  faith,  he  still  recognized  most  clearly 
that  human  effort  would  go  but  little  way  in  awaken 
ing  spiritual  life,  unless  seconded  by  the  Divine 
power.  Therefore  in  his  strong  and  growing  wish 
that  he  might  bring  the  beautiful  girl,  who  seemed 
like  a  revelation  to  him,  into  sympathy  with  the 
truth  that  he  believed  and  loved,  he  had  based  no 
hope  on  what  he  alone  could  do  or  say. 

But  her  manner  on  the  previous  morning  had 
chilled  him,  and  he  had  half  purposed  to  be  a  little 
distant  and  indifferent  also. 

It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  he  was  growing  sen 
sitive  in  regard  to  her  treatment  of  himself,  as  well 
as  of  the  truth. 

He  readily  assented  to  Lottie's  request  that  he 
should  accept  Mrs.  Byram's  invitation,  and  found  a 
strange  pleasure  in  her  graciousness  and  vivacity  at 
the  supper-table. 

His  simple  toilet  was  soon  made,  and  he  sought 


LOTTIE  A   MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.          2O$ 

the  parlor  and  a  book  to  pass  the  time  while  waiting 
for  the  others.  Lottie  was  a  veteran  at  the  dressing- 
table,  and  by  dint  of  exacting  much  help  from  Bel, 
and  resting  content  with  nature's  bountiful  gifts — that 
needed  but  little  enhancing  from  art — she,  too,  was 
ready  considerably  in  advance  of  the  others,  and  in 
the  full  &#dress  which  society  permits,  thought  to 
dazzle  the  plain  Western  student,  as  a  preliminary 
to  other  conquests  during  the  evening. 

And  he  was  both  dazzled  and  startled  as  she 
suddenly  stood  before  him  under  the  chandelier  in 
all  the  wealth  of  her  radiant  beauty. 

Her  hair  was  arranged  uniquely  in  a  style  pecu 
liarly  her  own,  and  powdered.  A  necklace  of  pearls 
sustained  a  diamond  cross  that  was  ablaze  with  light 
upon  her  white  bosom.  Her  arms  were  bare,  and 
her  dress  cut  as  low  as  fashion  would  sanction.  .  In 
momentary  triumph  she  saw  his  eye  kindle  into 
almost  wondering  admiration ;  and  yet  if  was  but 
momentary,  for  almost  instantly  his  face  began  to 
darken  with  disapproval. 

She  at  once  surmised  the  cause ;  and  at  first  it 
amused  her  very  much,  as  she  regarded  it  as  an  evi 
dence  of  his  delightful  ignorance  of  society  and  min 
isterial  prudishness. 

"  r  gather  from  your  face,  Mr.  Hemstead,  that  I 
am  not  dressed  to  suit  your  fastidious  taste.'' 

"  I  think  you  are  incurring  a  great  risk  in  so 
exposing  yourself  this  cold  night,  Miss  Marsden." 

"  That  is  not  all  your  thought,  Mr.  Hemstead." 


206  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said  gravely,  and  with 
heightened  color. 

"  But  it's  the  style ;  and  fashion,  you  know,  is  a 
despot  with  us  ladies." 

"  And  like  all  despots,  very  unreasonable  ;  and 
wrong  at  times,  I  perceive." 

"  When  you  have  seen  more  of  society,  Mr. 
Hemstead,"  she  said,  a  little  patronizingly,  "you 
will  modify  your  views.  Ideas  imported  in  the  May 
flower  are  scarcely  in  vogue  now." 

He  was  a  little  nettled  by  her  tone,  and  said  with 
a  tinge  of  dignity : 

"  My  ideas  on  this  subject  were  not  imported  in 
the  Mayflower.  They  are  older  than  the  world,  and 
will  survive  the  world." 

Lottie  became  provoked,  for  she  was  not  one  to 
take  criticism  of  her  personal  appearance  kindly,  and 
then  it  was  vexatious  that  the  one  that  she  chiefly 
expected  4o  dazzle  should  at  once  commence  finding 
fault ;  and  she  said  with  some  irritation  : 

"  And  what  are  your  long-lived  ideas  ?  " 

"  I  fear  they  would  not  have  much  weight  with 
you  were  I  able  to  express  them  plainly.  I  can  only 
suggest  them,  but  in  a  way  that  you  can  understand 
me  in  a  sentence.  I  would  not  like  a  sister  of  mine 
to  appear  in  company  as  you  are  dressed." 

Lottie  flushed  deeply  and  resentfully,  but  said,  in 
a  frigid  tone : 

"  I  think  we  had  better  change  the  subject.  I 
consider  myself  a  better  judge  of  these  matters  than 
you  are." 


LOTTIE  A   MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.  2O/ 

He  quietly  bowed  and  resumed  his  book.  She 
shot  an  angry  glance  at  him  and  left  the  room. 

This  was  a  new  experience  to  her— the  very 
reverse  of  what  she  had  anticipated.  This  was  a 
harsh  and  discordant  break  in  the  honeyed  strains 
of  flattery  to  which  she  had  always  been  accustomed, 
and  it  nettled  her  greatly.  Moreover,  the  criticism 
she  received  had  a  delicate  point,  and  touched  her  to 
the  very  quick ;  and  to  her  it  seemed  unjust  and 
uncalled  for.  What  undoubtedly  is  wrong  in  itself, 
and  .what  to  Hemstead,  unfamiliar  with  society  and 
its  arbitrary  customs,  seemed  strangely  indelicate, 
was  to  her  but  a  prevailing  mode  among  the  ultra 
fashionable — in  which  class  it  was  her  ambition  to 
shine. 

"  The  great,  verdant  boor  !  "  she  said  in  her  anger, 
as  she  paced  restlessly  up  and  down  the  hall.  "  What 
a  fool  I  am  to  care  what  he  thinks,  with  his  back 
woods  ideas.  Nor  shall  I  any  more'.  He  shall  learn 
to-night  that  I  belong  to  a  different  world." 

De  Forrest  joined  her  soon  and  somewhat  re 
assured  her  by  his  profuse  compliments.  Not  that 
she  valued  them  as  coming  from  him,  but  as  a  society 
man,  she  felt  that  he  was  giving  the  verdict  of  society 
in  distinction  from  Hemstead's  outlandish  ideas. 
She  had  learned  from  her  mother — indeed  it  was 
the  faith  of  her  childhood,  earliest  taught  and  thor 
oughly  accepted,  that  the  dictum  of  their  wealthy 
circle  was  final  authority,  from  which  there  was 
no  appeal. 

Hemstead  suffered  in  her  estimation.     She  tried 


208  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

to  think  of  him  as  uncouth,  ill-bred,  and  so  ignorant 
of  fashionable  life — which  to  her  was  the  only  life 
worth  naming — that  she  could  dismiss  him  from  her 
mind  from  that  time  forth.  And  in  her  resentment 
she  thought  she  could  and  would.  She  was  very 
gracious  to  De  Forrest,  and  he  in  consequence  was 
in  superb  spirits. 

As  they  gathered  in  the  parlor,  before  starting, 
De  Forrest  looked  Hemstead  over  critically,  and 
then  turned  to  Lottie  and  raised  his  eye-brows  sig 
nificantly.  The  answering  smile  was  in  harmony 
with  the  exquisite's  implied  satire.  Lottie  gave  the 
student  another  quick  look  and  saw  that  he  had 
observed  their  meaning  glances,  and  that  in  conse 
quence  his  lip  had  curled  slightly;  and  she  flushed 
again,  partly  with  anger  and  vexation. 

"  Why  should  his  adverse  opinion  so  nettle  me  ? 
He  is  nobody,"  she  thought,  as  she  turned  coldly 
away. 

Though  Hemstead's  manner  was  quiet  and  dis 
tant,  he  was  conscious  of  a  strange  and  unaccount 
able  disappointment  and  sadness.  It  was  as  if  a 
beautiful  picture  were  becoming  blurred  before  his 
eyes.  It  was  more  than  that — more  than  he  under 
stood.  He  had  sense  of  personal  loss. 

He  saw,  and  sincerely  regretted  his  cousin  Addie's 
faults ;  but  when  Lottie  failed  in  any  respect  in  ful 
filling  the  fair  promise  of  their  first  acquaintance, 
there  was  something  more  than  regret. 

At  first  he   thought  he  would    remain  at  home 


LOTTIE  A    MYSTERIOUS  PROBLEM.  2OQ 

and  not  expose  himself  to  their  criticism  and  possible 
ridicule ;  but  a  moment  later  determined  to  go  and, 
if  possible,  thoroughly  solve  the  mystery  of  Lottie 
Marsden's  character ;  for  she  was  more  of  a  mystery 
now  than  ever. 


210  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HEMSTEAD   SEES 

THEY  soon  reached  Mrs.  Byram's  elegant  coun 
try  house,  which  gleamed  afar,  ablaze  with 
light.  The  obsequious  footman  threw  open  the  door, 
and  they  entered  a  tropical  atmosphere  laden  with 
the  perfumes  of  exotics.  Already  the  music  was 
striking  up  for  the  chief  feature  of  the  evening.  Bel 
reluctantly  accepted  of  Hemstead's  escort,  as  she  had 
no  other  resource. 

"  He  will  be  so  awkward !  "  she  had  said  to  Lot 
tie,  in  irritable  protest. 

And  at  first  she  was  quite  correct,  for  Hemstead 
found  himself  anything  but  at  home  in  the  fashiona 
ble  revel.  Bel,  in  her  efforts  to  get  him  in  the  pres 
ence  of  the  lady  of  the  house  that  they  might  pay 
their  respects,  reminded  one  of  a  little  steam  yacht 
trying  to  manage  a  ship  of  the  line. 

Not  only  were  Lottie  and  De  Forrest  smiling  at 
the  scene,  but  also  other  elegant  people,  among  whom 
Hemstead  towered  in  proportions  too  vast  and  ill- 
managed  to  escape  notice  ;  and  to  Addie,  her  cousin's 
lack  of  ease  and  grace  was  worse  than  a  crime. 

Bel  soon  found  some  city  acquaintances,  and  she 
and  her  escort  parted  with  mutual  relief.  Hemstead 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUK   SET."  211 

drifted  into  the  hall,  where  he  would  be  out  of  the 
way  of  the  dancers,  but  through  the  open  doors 
could  watch  the  scene. 

And  this  he  did  with  a  curious  and  observant 
eye.  The  party  he  came  with  expected  him  to  be 
either  dazzled  and  quite  carried  away  with  the  scenes 
of  the  evening,  or  else  shocked  and  very  solemn 
over  their  dissipation.  But  he  was  rather  inclined 
to  be  philosophical,  and  study  up  this  new  phase  of 
life.  He  would  see  the  creme  de  la  creme,  who  only 
would  be  present,  as  he  was  given  to  understand. 
He  would  discover  if  they  were  made  of  different 
clay  from  the  people  of  Scrub  Oaks.  He  would 
breathe  the  social  atmosphere,  which  to  Addie,  his 
aunt,  and  even  to  Lottie,  he  was  compelled  to  fear 
was  as  the  breath  of  life.  These  were  the  side 
issues :  but  his  chief  purpose  was  to  study  Lottie 
herself.  He  would  discover  if  she  were  in  truth  as 
good  a  girl — as  full  of  promise — as  he  had  been  led 
to  believe  at  first. 

Of  course  he  was  a  predestined  "  wall-flower  "  upon 
such  an  occasion.  Addie  had  said  to  Mrs.  Byram, 
in  a  tone  hard  to  describe  but  at  once  understood  : 

"  A  cousin  from  the  West,  who  is  studying  for  the 
ministry;"  and  Hemstead  was  immediately  classed 
in  the  lady's  mind  among  those  poor  relations  who 
must  be  tolerated  for  the  sake  of  their  connections. 

He  was  a  stranger  to  all,  save  those  he  came  with, 
and  they  soon  completely  ignored  and  forgot  him, 
save  Lottie  by  whom  he  was  watched,  but  so  fur 
tively  that  she  seemed  as  neglectful  as  the  rest. 


212  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

It  was  one  of  the  fashions  of  the  hour — a  phase 
of  etiquette  as  ill-bred  as  the  poorest  social  slang 
— not  to  introduce  strangers.  Mrs.  Byram  and  her 
daughters  were  nothing  if  not  fashionable,  and  in 
this  case  the  mode  served  their  inclination,  and 
beyond  a  few  formal  words  they  willingly  left  their 
awkward  guest  to  his  own  resources. 

He  could  not  understand  how  true  courtesy  per 
mitted  a  hostess  to  neglect  any  of  her  guests,  least 
of  all  those  who  from  diffidence  or  any  cause  seemed 
most  in  need  of  attention.  Still,  in  the  present 
instance,  he  was  glad  to  be  left  alone. 

The  scenes  around  him  had  more  than  the  inter 
est  of  novelty,  and  there  was  much  that  he  enjoyed 
keenly.  The  music  was  good,  and  his  quick  ear 
kept  as  perfect  time  to  it  as  did  Lottie's  feet.  He 
thought  the  square  dances  were  beautiful  and  per 
fectly  unobjectionable,  a  vast  improvement  on  many 
of  the  rude  and  often  stupid  games  that  he  had 
seen  at  the  few  companies  he  had  attended,  and  Lot 
tie  appeared  the  embodiment  of  grace,  as  she  glided 
through  them. 

But  when  a  blase"-looking  fellow,  in  whose  eye 
lurked  all  evil  passions  and  appetites,  whirled  her 
away  in  a  waltz,  he  again  felt, "with  indignation,  that 
here  was  another  instance  where  fashion — custom 
— insolently  tramped  on  divine  law  and  womanly 
modesty.  He  had  seen  enough  of  the  world  to  know 
that  Lottie,  with  all  her  faults,  was  too  good  to  touch 
the  fellow  whose  embrace  she  permitted.  Could  she 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUR   SET."  21$ 

— could  the  others  be,  ignorant  of  his  character  when 
it  was  indelibly  stamped  upon  his  face? 

But  he  soon  noticed  that  his  attentions  were 
everywhere  received  with  marked  pleasure,  and  that 
Mrs.  Byram  and  her  daughters  made  much  of  him  as 
a  favored  guest.  In  anger  he  saw  how  sweetly  Lot 
tie  smiled  upon  him  as  they  were  passing  near.  She 
caught  his  dark  look,  and  interpreting  it  to  mean 
something  like  jealousy,  became  more  gracious  toward 
her  rou£-looking  attendant,  with  the  purpose  of 
piquing  Hemstead. 

A  little  later  Bel  came  into  the  hall,  leaning  upon 
the  arm  of  a  gentleman.  Having  requested  her 
escort  to  get  her  a  glass  of  water  she  was  left  alone  a 
few  moments.  Hemstead  immediately  joined  her 
and  asked  : 

"  Who  is  that  blase-looking  man  upon  whose  arm 
Miss  Marsden  is  leaning?" 

"  And  upon  whom  she  is  also  smiling  so  enchant- 
ingly  ?  He  is  the  beau  of  the  occasion,  and  she  is 
the  belle." 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  him  ?  I  hope  his 
face  and  manner  do  him  injustice." 

"  I  fear  they  do  not.  I  imagine  he  is  even  worse 
than  he  looks." 

"  How,  then,  can  he  be  such  a  favorite?  " 

She  gave  him  a  quick,  comical  look,  which  inti 
mated,  "You  are  from  the  back  country,"  but  said  : 

"  I  fear  you  will  think  less  of  society  when  I  tell 
you  the  reasons.  I  admit  that  it  is  very  wrong;  but 
so  it  is.  He  has  three  great  attractions:  he  is 


214  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

brilliant ;  he  is  fast ;  he  is  immensely  rich — therefore 
society  is  at  his  feet." 

"  Oh  no,  not  society,  but  a  certain  clique  who 
weigh  things  in  false  balances,"  said  Hemstead 
quickly.  "  How  strange  it  is  that  people  are  ever 
mistaking  their  small  circle  for  the  world." 

Bel  gave  him  a  look  of  some  surprise,  and  thought, 
"  I  half  believe  he  is  looking  down  upon  us  with  bet 
ter  right  than  we  upon  him." 

After  a  moment  Hemstead  added,  "  That  man 
there  is  more  than  fast.  I  should  imagine  that  Har- 
court  was  a  little  fast,  and  yet  he  has  good  and  noble 
traits.  I  could  trust  him.  But  treachery  is  stamped 
upon  that  fellow's  face,  and  the  leer  of  a  devil  gleams 
from  his  eye.  He  is  not  only  fast,  he  is  bad.  Does 
Miss  Marsden  know  his  character?" 

"  She  knows  what  we  all  do.  There  are  hard 
stories  about  him,  and,  as  you  say,  he  does  not  look 
saintly  ;  but  however  wrong  it  may  be,  Mr.  Hemstead, 
it  is  still  a  fact  that  society  will  wink  at  almost  every 
thing  when  a  man  is  as  rich  and  well  connected  as 
he,  that  is,  as  long  as  a  man  sins  in  certain  conven 
tional  ways  and  keeps  his  name  out  of  the  papers." 

Here  her  escort  joined  her  and  they  passed  on; 
and  Hemstead  stood  lowering  at  the  man,  the  pitch 
of  whose  character  began  to  stain  the  beautiful  girl 
who,  knowing  him  somewhat,  could  willingly  and 
encouragingly  remain  at  his  side. 

True,  he  had  seen  abundant  proof  that  she  had  a 
heart,  good  impulses,  and  was  capable  of  noble  things, 
as  he  had  told  her;  but  was  she  not  also  giving  him 


HEM  STEAD    SEES  "OUR   SET."  21$ 

equal  proof  that  the  world  enthralled  her  heart,  and 
that  senseless  and  soulless  fashion,  rather  than  the  will 
of  God,  or  the  instincts  of  a  pure  womanly  nature, 
controlled  her  will?'' 

He  had  no  small  vanity  in  which  to  wrap  him 
self  while  he  nursed  a  spiteful  resentment  at  slights 
to  himself.  It  was  a  tendency  of  his  nature,  and  a 
necessity  of  his  calling,  that  he  should  forget  himself 
for  the  sake  of  others.  Lottie  awoke  his  sympathy, 
and  he  pitied  while  he  blamed. 

But  he  desponded  as  to  the  future,  and  feared 
that  she  would  never  fulfil  her  first  beautiful  promise. 
He  realized,  with  a  vague  sense  of  pain,  how  far  apart 
they  were,  and  in  what  different  worlds  they  dwelt. 
At  one  time  it  seemed  as  if  they  might  become 
friends,  and  be  in  accord  on  the  chief  questions  of 
life.  But  now  that  she  was  smiling  so  approvingly 
upon  a  man  whose  very  face  proclaimed  him  villain, 
he  saw  a  separation  wider  and  more  inexorable  than 
Hindu  caste — that  of  character. 

And  yet  with  his  intense  love  of  beauty  it  seemed 
like  sacrilege — the  profanation  of  a  beautiful  temple — 
that  such  a  girl  as  Charlotte  Marsden  should  permit 
the  associations  of  that  evening.  It  was  true  that  he 
could  find  no  greater  fault  with  her  dress,  her  man 
ners,  and  her  attendants,  than  with  many  others — 
not  as  much  as  with  his  own  cousin.  But  for  some 
reason  that  did  not  occur  to  him,  it  was  peculiarly  a 
source  of  regret  that  Lottie  should  so  fall  short  of 
what  he  believed  true  and  right. 

His  thoughts  gave  expression  to  his  face,  as  in 


2l6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

momentary  abstraction  he  paced  up  and  down  the 
hall.  Suddenly  a  voice  that  had  grown  strangely 
familiar  in  the  brief  time  he  had  heard  it,  said  at  his 
side : 

"Why,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  look  as  if  at  a  fu 
neral.  What  are  you  thinking  of?  " 

Following  an  impulse  of  his  open  nature,  he 
looked  directly  into  Lottie's  face,  and  replied : 

"  You." 

She  blushed  slightly,  but  said  with  a  laugh  : 

"That  is  frank;"  but  added,  meaningly,  "I  am 
surprised  you  cannot  find  anything  better  to  think 
about." 

"  I  agree  with  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Mr.  Brently, 
the  young  man  whose  face  had  seemed  the  index  of 
all  evil.  "  Where  could  he  find  anything  better  to 
think  about  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Hemstead's  compliments  and  yours  are 
very  different  affairs.  He  means  all  he  says.  Mr. 
Hemstead,  permit  me  to  introduce  to  you  Mr.  Brently 
of  New  York.  I  wish  you  could  induce  him  to  be  a 
missionary." 

The  young  rake  laughed  so  heartily  at  this  idea, 
that  he  did  not  notice  that  Hemstead's  acknowledg 
ment  was  frigidly  cold  and  slight ;  but  Lottie  did. 

"  How  absurdly  jealous  !  "  she  thought ;  yet  it 
pleased  her  that  he  was. 

"  I  shall  never  be  good  enough  to  eat,  and  so  can 
not  be  persuaded  to  visit  the  Cannibal  Islands  in  the 
role  of  missionary."  Brently  was  too  pleased  with 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUR    SET."  21J 

his  own  poor  wit,  and  too  indifferent  to  Hemstead,  to 
note  that  the  student  did  not  even  look  at  him. 

"  I  expect  that  you  will  lecture  me  well  for  all 
my  folly  and  wickedness  to-morrow,"  said  Lottie 
with  a  laugh. 

"You  are  mistaken,  Miss  Marsden,"  Hemstead 
answered  coldly.  "  I  have  neither  the  right  nor  the 
wish  to  '  lecture  '  you  ;  "  and  he  turned  away,  while 
she  passed  on  with  an  unquiet,  uncomfortable  feel 
ing,  quite  unlike  her  usual  careless  disregard  of  the 
opinions  of  others. 

At  that  moment  a  gentleman  and  lady  brushed 
past  them  on  their  way  to  the  drawing-rooms,  and 
he  heard  Lottie  whisper : 

"  There  are  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell  after  all.  I 
feared  they  were  not  coming." 

A  moment  later  he  saw  a  tall  and  beautiful  girl 
entering  the  parlors,  upon  the,  arm  of  a  gentleman 
who  was  evidently  her  father.  Mrs.  Byram  received 
them  with  the  utmost  deference,  and  was  profuse  in 
her  expressions  of  pleasure  that  they  had  not  failed 
to  be  present.  Having  explained  their  detention, 
they  moved  on  through  the  rooms,  receiving  the 
cordial  greetings  of  many  who  knew  them,  and 
much  attention  from  all.  They  were  evidently  peo 
ple  of  distinction,  and  from  the  first  Hemstead  had 
been  favorably  impressed  with  their  appearance  and 
bearing. 

From  the  gentleman's  erect  and  vigorous  form  it 
would  seem  that  his  hair  was  prematurely  gray. 
His  face  indicated  intellect  and  high-breeding,  while 
10 


218  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

the  deep-set  and  thoughtful  eyes,  and  the  firm  lines 
around  his  mouth,  suggested  a  man  of  decided 
opinions. 

The  daughter  was  quite  as  beautiful  as  Lottie, 
only  her  style  was  entirely  different.  She  .was  tall 
and  willowy  in  form,  while  Lottie  was  of  medium 
height.  Miss  Martell  was  very  fair,  and  her  large 
blue  eyes  seemed  a  trifle  cold  and  expressionless  as 
they  rested  on  surrounding  faces  and  scenes.  One 
would  hardly  suppose  that  her  pulse  was  quickened 
by  the  gayety  and  excitement,  and  it  might  even  be 
suspected  that  she  was  not  in  sympathy  with  either 
the  people  or  their  spirit. 

And  yet  all  this  would  only  be  apparent  to  a  close 
observer,  for  to  the  majority  she  was  the  embodi 
ment  of  grace  and  courtesy,  and  as  the  Lanciers  were 
called  soon  after  her  arrival,  she  permitted  Harcourt 
to  lead  her  out  as  his  partner.  They  took  their  sta 
tions  near  the  door  where  Hemstead  was  standing 
at  the  moment;  Lottie  and  Mr.  Brently  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  parlor,  and  Hemstead  thought  he 
had  never  seen  two  women  more  unlike,  and  yet  so 
beautiful. 

While  he  in  his  isolation  and  abstraction  was 
observing  them  and  others  in  much  the  same  spirit 
with  which  he  was  accustomed  to  haunt,  art  galler 
ies,  Harcourt,  seeing  him  so  near,  unexpectedly  intro 
duced  him  to  Miss  Martell,  saying  good-naturedly: 

"  You  have  one  topic  of  mutual  interest  to  talk 
about,  and  a  rather  odd  one  for  a  clergyman  and  a 
young  lady,  and  that  is — horses.  Miss  Martell  is  one 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUR   SET."  2ig 

of  the  best  equestriennes  of  this  region,  and  you,  Mr. 
Hemstead,  managed  a  span  that  were  beyond  me — 
saved  my  neck  at  the  same  time,  in  all  probability." 

The  young  lady  at  first  was  simply  polite,  and 
greeted  him  as  she  naturally  would  a  stranger  cas 
ually  introduced.  But  either  from  something  in 
Harcourt's  words,  or  in  Hemstead's  appearance  as 
she  gave  him-  closer  scrutiny,  her  eye  kindled  into 
interest,  and  she  was  about  to  speak  to  him  when 
the  music  called  her  into  the  graceful  maze  of  the 
dance.  Hemstead  was  as  much  surprised  as  if  a 
portrait  on  the  wall  had  stepped  down  and  made  his 
acquaintance,  and  in  his  embarrassment  and  confu 
sion  was  glad  that  the  lady  was  summoned  away, 
and  he  given  time  to  recover  himself. 

Lottie  had  noted  the  introduction,  and  from  her 
distance  it  seemed  that  Miss  Martell  had  treated  him 
slightingly,  an.d  that  she  had  not  spoken  but  merely 
recognized  him  by  a  slight  inclination  ;  so,  acting  upon 
one  of  her  generous  impulses,  the  moment  the  first 
form  was  over  and  there  was  a  brief  respite,  she  went 
to  where  he  stood  near  Miss  Martell,  and  said  kindly, 
but  a  little  patronizingly : 

"  I'm  sorry  you  do  not  dance,  Mr.  Hemstead. 
You  must  be  having  a  stupid  time." 

He  recognized  her  kindly  spirit,  and  said,  with  a 
smile  : 

"  A  quiet  time,  but  not  a  stupid  one.  As  you 
can  understand,  this  scene  is  a  quite  novel  one  to  me 
glimpse  into  a  new  and  different  world." 

"  And  one  that  you  do  not  approve  of,  I  fear." 


220  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  It  has  its  lights  and  shadows." 

Lottie  now  turned  to  speak  to  Miss  Martell,  and 
evil-eyed  Brently,  her  partner,  had  also  been  stand 
ing  near,  waiting  till  Harcourt  should  cease  to  occupy 
her  attention  so  closely. 

The  young  lady  was  polite,  but  not  cordial,  to 
Lottie  ;  she  did  not  vouchsafe  a  glance  to  Brently. 
But  he  was  not  easily  abashed. 

"  Miss  Martell,"  he  said  suavely,  "  will  you  honor 
me  for  the  next  waltz  ?  " 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  sir,"  she  said  coldly. 

"  Well  then,  some  time  during  the  evening,  at  your 
own  pleasure,"  he  urged. 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  sir,"  she  repeated  still 
more  frigidly,  scarcely  glancing  at  him. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked  insolently,  at 
the  same  time  flushing  deeply. 

She  gave  him  a  cold,  quiet  look  of  surprise,  and 
turning  her  back  upon  him,  resumed  conversation 
with  Harcourt.  Lottie  was  a  little  indignant  and 
perplexed  at  this  scene  ;  but  noted  with  a  feeling  of 
disgust,  that  her  partner's  face,  in  his  anger,  had  the 
look  of  a  demon. 

But  her  own  reception  had  been  too  cool  to  be 
agreeable,  and  this,  with  the  supposed  slight  to  Hem- 
stead,  caused  Miss  Martell  to  seem  to  her,  for  the 
time,  the  embodiment  of  capricious  pride. 

Harcourt  said  : 

"  Brently  does  not  seem  in  your  good  graces, 
Miss  Martell ;  and  that  is  strange,  for  he  is  the  lion 
of  the  evening." 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUR   SET."  221 

"  I  can  well  imagine  that  he  belongs  to  the  cat 
species,"  she  replied.  "  I  have  no  personal  griev 
ance  against  Mr.  Brently,  but  I  do  not  consider  him 
a  gentleman.  My  father  knows  that  he  is  not  one, 
and  that  is  enough  for  me." 

Harcourt  flushed  with  both  pleasure  and  shame ; 
and  as  the  next  form  just  then  required  that  he 
should  take  his  companion's  hand,  he  did  so  with  a 
cordial  pressure,  as  he  said : 

"  Men  would  be  better — I  would  be  better — if  all 
young  ladies  showed  your  spirit,  Miss  Martell." 

At  the  next  pause  in  the  dance  she  said,  in  a 
low  tone,  "  Come,  let  us  have  no  '  ifs.'  Be  better 
any  way." 

She  detected  the  dejection  which  he  tried  to  mask 
with  a  light  laugh,  as  he  replied  : 

"  I  often  wish  I  were,  but  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil,  are  too  much  for  me." 

"  Yes,  and  always  will  be  for  you.  Who  can 
fight  such  enemies  alone  ?  Besides,  you  are  reading 
and  thinking  in  the  wrong  direction.  You  are  going 
out  into  the  desert." 

"  Well,  it's  kind  of  you  to  care,"  he  said,  with  a 
look  that  deepened  the  faint  color  of  her  checks. 

"  I  am  not  inhuman,"  she  replied  quietly.  "  Is  it 
a  little  thing  that  a  mind  should  go  astray?  " 

He  looked  at  her  earnestly,  but  made  no  reply. 

Soon  after,  Lottie  saw  with  surprise,  during  one 
of  the  intervals  between  the  forms,  that  Miss 
Martell  turned  and  spoke  freely  and  cordially  to 
Hemstead.  Her  surprise  became  something  akin  to 


222  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

annoyance,  as,  at  the  close,  she  took  his  arm  and 
commenced  walking  up  and  down  the  wide  hall, 
evidently  becoming  deeply  interested  in  his  conver 
sation.  She  soon  shook  off  moody  Brently,  who 
could  think  of  nothing  but  the  slight  he  had  received, 
and  taking  De  Forrest's  arm,  also  commenced  prom 
enading  in  the  hall.  She  noted,  with  satisfaction, 
that  Hemstead  was  not  so  occupied  with  his  new  and 
fascinating  acquaintance  as  to  be  oblivious  of  her 
presence. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Martell  joined  his  daughter,  and 
was  introduced  to  Hemstead  ;  and  they  went  out  to 
supper  together. 

Lottie  managed  that  she  and  De  Forrest  should 
find  seats  near  them  in  a  roomy  angle,  where,  being 
out  of  the  crush,  Mr.  Martell  and  his  little  party 
could  season  Mrs.  Byram's  sumptuous  viands  with 
Attic  salt.  And  the  flavor  of  their  wit  and  thought 
was  so  attractive  that  they  soon  had  a  igroup  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  cultured  of  the  company  around 
them,  and  Lottie  saw  that  Hemstead,  who  had  been 
neglected  by  his  own  party,  was  becoming  appre 
ciated  by  the  best  people  present.  Miss  Martell,  with 
the  tact  of  a  perfect  lady,  had  the  power  of  putting 
him  at  his  ease  and  drawing  him  out.  Hemstead's 
mind  was  no  stagnant,  muddy  pool,  but  a  living  foun 
tain,  and  his  thought  sparkled  as  it  flowed  readily 
on  the  congenial  topics  that  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell 
introduced.  The  freshness  and  originality  of  his 
views  seemed  to  greatly  interest  them  and  others ; 
but  what  pleased  him  most  was  that  Lottie,  who  sat 


HEM  STEAD   SEES  "OUR   SET."  22$ 

near,  was  neglecting  her  supper  and  De  Forrest's 
compliments  in  her  attention  to  the  conversation. 
Her  face  showed  a  quick,  discriminating  mind,  and  as 
the  discussion  grew  a  little  warm  on  a  topic  of  gen 
eral  interest,  he  saw  from  her  eager  and  intelligent 
face  that  she  had  an  opinion,  and  he  had  the  tact  to 
ask  her  for  it  just  at  the  right  moment.  Though  a 
little  embarrassed  at  his  unexpected  question,  she 
expressed  her  thought  so  briefly  and  brightly  that 
the  others  were  pleased,  and  she  was  at  once  taken 
into  the  circle  of  their  talk,  which  of  course  became 
more  animated  and  spicy  with  her  piquant  words 
and  manner  added.  It  was  evident  that  she  was 
enjoying  this  employment  of  her  brain  more  than  she 
had  that  of  her  feet.  The  lower  pleasure  paled 
before  the  higher;  and  she  was  grateful  to  Hemstead 
for  having  drawn  her  within  the  charmed  circle. 

De  Forrest  did  not  grieve  over  Lottie's  absorp 
tion,  as  it  gave  him  more  time  for  the  supper  table  and 
champagne ;  and  to  the  latter  he  and  a  good  many 
others  were  so  devoted  that  they  were  hardly  their 
poor  selves  the  rest  of  the  evening.  In  Brently's 
case  it  was  most  marked  after  the  ladies  had  retired. 
He  began  to  talk  quite  loudly  and  boisterously  of 
his  slight,  and  at  one  time  was  about  to  seek  Miss 
Martell,  and  demand  an  explanation,  but  was  pre 
vailed  upon  by  his  friends  to  be  quiet. 


224  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

HOW  WOMAN   MAKES   OR   MARS. 

IN  the  changes  that  occurred  after  leaving  the 
supper-room,  Miss  Martell  took  Harcourt's  arm 
and  said  in  a  low  tone : 

"  I  was  glad  to  see  that  you  did  not  take  any 
wine." 

"  And  I  am  glad  you  cared  to  see.  But  how 
could  I,  after  your  gentle  hint  ?  I  know  my 
weakness.  If  I  had  indulged  in  one  glass  I  might 
have  taken  too  many,  as  I  am  sorry  has  been  the 
case  in  more  instances  than  one  to-night." 

"  You  admit,  then,  that  it  is  a  weakness  ?  "  she 
said  gently,  fixing  her  eyes,  that  were  no  longer  cold 
and  expressionless,  upon  him. 

"  In  truth,  I  must  admit  that  I  have  many  weak 
nesses,  Miss  Martell." 

"  You  certainly  possess  one  element  of  strength, 
in  that  you  recognize  them.  Knowledge  of  danger 
is  often  the  best  means  of  safety.  But  how  is  it  that 
you  are  so  ready  to  acknowledge  weakness  of  any 
kind?  I  thought  that  men  scoffed  at  the  idea  that  they 
could  be  weak  or  in  danger  from  any  temptation." 

"  If  they  do,  they  either  do  not  know  themselves, 
or  they  are  not  honest.  I  do  know  myself,  to  my 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES   OR  MARS.  22$ 

sorrow,  and  it  would  seem  like  sacrilege  to  me  not 
to  be  truthful  and  sincere  with  you.  And  yet  it  is 
when  I  am  with  you  that  I  most  despise  myself." 

"  How,  then,  can  you  endure  my  presence?  "  she 
asked,  with  a  shy,  half-mischievous  glance. 

He  flushed  slightly,  and  tried  to  disguise  a  deeper 
meaning  with  a  slight  laugh,  as  he  said : 

"If  I  were  shut  out  of  Eden,  I  should  often  be 
tempted  to  look  over  the  hedge." 

She  did  not  reply  at  once,  nor  lift  her  eyes  to  his, 
but  the  color  deepened  upon  her  cheek ;  and  if  he  had 
seen  the  expression  of  her  averted  face,  his  might 
have  appeared  more  hopeful. 

After  a  moment  she  turned  and  said,  with  a  smile, 
"  I  think  the  fact  that  you  would  like  to  look  over 
the  hedge,  a  very  promising  sign.  It  proves  that 
you  regret  our  lost  Eden  purity,  and  would  like  to 
possess  it  again.  -If  you  will  only  let  your  wishes 
develop  into  right  action,  instead  of  looking  wistfully 
over  the  hedge,  you  may  be  welcomed  within  the 
gate  of  the  better  Paradise." 

He  looked  at  her  searchingly,  but  she  again 
turned  away  her  face,  and  would  not  meet  his  eye. 
After  a  moment,  he  said  : 

"  I  do  not  think  you  used  the  pronoun  '  our,'  cor 
rectly.  There  is  nothing  akin  between  my  moral 
state  and  yours." 

"  Yes  there  is,"  she  replied  earnestly.  "  If  you 
struggle  as  hard  to  do  right  as  I  do,  you  are  trying 
very  hard  indeed." 

With  a  quick  glance  of  surprise  he  said,  "  It  has 

10* 


226  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

ever  seemed  to  me  that  you  were  developing  as  nat 
urally  and  inevitably  as  a  moss-rose." 

"  Nonsense !  "  she  answered,  a  little  abruptly. 
"  I  am  as  human  as  you  are.  I  have  doubtless  had 
advantages  over  you  in  being  more  sheltered  and 
less  tempted.  But  in  a  world  like  ours,  and  with 
natures  like  ours,  everyone  must  struggle  hard  if 
they  would  .live  good  lives.  Even  then  we  need 
Divine  help." 

They  had  now  passed  into  quite  a  large  conserv 
atory,  where  they  supposed  they  were  alone.  He 
took  her  hand  and  said,  with  a  manly  sincerity  that 
made  his  face  almost  as  noble  as  hers  was  beautiful : 

"  Miss  Martell,  you  are  holier  than  I  am.  You 
are  as  much  above  me  as  heaven  is  above  the  earth. 
And  yet,  because  you  have  not  said  to  me,  *  Stand 
aside,  for  I  am  holier  than  thou  ' ;  because  you  have 
made  a  claim,  which  I  can  scarcely  understand,  of 
kindred  weakness — of  like  need  of  effort  to  do  right — 
you  have  given  me  a  little  hope  that  possibly  at 
some  distant  day  I  may  find  a  way  out  of  my  doubts 
and  'weaknesses.  I  would  like  to  be  a  true  and 
believing  man." 

"  Please  do  not  think  that  I  have  it  in  my  heart 
to  say  *  Stand  aside '  to  any  one.  Such  a  spirit  is 
most  unchristian,  and  in  me  .would  be  most  unwar 
ranted.  Do  not  think  I  meant  that  when  I  repulsed 
Mr.  Brently.  He  has  forfeited  every  right  to  the 
title  of  gentleman.  I  believe  he  is  utterly  bad,  and 
he  shows  no  wish  to  be  otherwise  ;  and  I  was  dis 
gusted  by  the  flattering  attentions  he  received  from 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES  OR  MARS.  22/ 

those  with  whom  he  had  no  right  to  associate  at  all. 
When  will  society  get  beyond  its  vulgar  worship  of 
wealth  !  But,  Mr.  Harcourt,  please  don't  talk  about 
a  4  possible  way  out  of  your  doubts  and  weaknesses 
at  some  distant  day/  You  paid  me  the  highest  com 
pliment  in  your  power,  when  you  refrained  from  wine 
at  supper  to-night.  I  am  going  to  ask  a  personal 
favor.  Won't  you  let  it  alone  altogether  ?  Mr.  Har 
court,"  she  added,  her  eyes  filling  with  tears,  "  I 
cannot  bear  to  think  of  a  nature  like  yours  becoming 
a  slave  to  such  an  appetite  and  it  does  seem  to'mas- 
ter  those  who  are  naturally  the  noblest." 

He  turned  away  to  hide  his  own  feeling,  while 
she,  with  clasped  hands,  stood  looking  at'him,  as  his 
good  angel  might.  When  he  turned  to  her,  he  spoke 
calmly,  and  almost  humbly  : 

"  I  will  not  protest  too  much,  Miss  Martell.  I 
will  make  no  loud  and  absolute  promises,  but  it 
seems  to  me,  while  I  stand  here  in  your  presence,  I 
could  not  do  a  mean  or  ignoble  thing  again.  But  in 
that  degree  that  I  revere  you,  I  distrust  myself. 
But  I  pledge  you  my  honor,  that  I  will  try  to  do 
what  you  ask,  and  more." 

"  You  give  me  just  the  kind  of  promise  I  like 
best,"  she  said,  giving  him  her  hand  with  a  happy 
smile.  "  But  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  I  wish  you 
could  seek  God's  help,  as  simply,  as  believingly,  as 
'I  do." 

"  Ah,  there  is  the  trouble,"  he  replied,  in  deep 
dejection.  "  My  mind  is  tossed  upon  a  sea  of  doubt 
and  uncertainty."  Then,  as  from  a  sudden  impulse, 


228  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

he  said,  "  But  I  could  worship  you.  You  are  the 
most  beautiful  woman  here  to-night,  but  instead  of 
making  your  beauty  the  slave  of  contemptible  vanity, 
and  employing  it,  like  Miss  Marsden  and  others, 
merely  to  win  flattery  and  attention,  you  turn  from 
all,  and  forget  yourself  and  your  own  pleasure,  that 
you  may  keep  a  man  that  is  hardly  worth  saving, 
from  going  to  the  devil.  If  I  go,  after  your  kindness 
to-night,  it  will  be  because  I  ought." 

Here  her  father  called  her  from  the  door.  The 
character  of  the  entertainment  was  becoming  such 
that  he  was  anxious  to  get  away.  As  they  left  the 
conservatory,  she  said  in  a  low,  hasty  tone  : 

"  I  am  not  so  unselfish  as  you  think ;  for  it  would 
make  me  very  unhappy,  if  you  did  not  become  what 
you  are  capable  of  being." 

"  Since  you  care  personally  what  becomes  of  me, 
you  have  given  me  double  incentive,"  he  answered 
eagerly,  as  they  passed  out. 

As  they  disappeared,  Lottie  Marsden  stepped  out 
from  behind  a  large  lemon  tree,  with  an  expression 
upon  her  face  quite  as  acid  as  the  unripe  fruit  that 
had  helped  to  conceal  her.  How  she  came  to  wit 
ness  the  scene  described,  requires  some  explanation. 
As  they  left  the  supper-room,  she  shook  De  Forrest 
off  for  a  time,  and  when  Miss  Martell  parted  from 
Hemstead,  she  joined  him.  After  the  attention  he 
had  received,  she  was  not  in  as  patronizing  a  mood 
as  before. 

"  Are  you  willing  to  take  a  short  promenade  with 
such  a  guy  as  I  am,  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  "  she  asked. 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES  OR   MARS.  229 

"  Yes,  if  you  are  willing  to  link  yourself  with  so 
much  awkwardness." 

"I  wish  I  had  your  grace  of  mind,  Mr.  Hemstead." 

"  You  have  no  occasion  to  find  fault  with  nature's 
gifts  to  you." 

"  I  fear  you  think  I  should  find  much  fault  with 
myself,  if  not  with  nature.  But  I  can  hardly  find 
fault  with  you  after  your  kindly  tact  in  the  supper- 
room.  I  wanted  to  join  your  breezy,  sprightly  chat, 
and  you  gave  me  a  chance  so  nicely." 

"  Because  I  wished  you  to  join  it.  It  was  not  a 
deed  of  charity,  and  you  well  repaid  me.  Indeed,  I 
saw  so  much  thought  in  your  face,  that  I  wanted 
more  of  the  same  kind." 

"  I  think  you  see  more  than  we  give  you  credit 
for,"  she  said,  looking  doubtfully  at  him. 

"  '  We/  who  are  '  we  '  ?  Yes,  I  am  seeing  a  good 
deal  here  to-night.  As  you  went  to  see  the  '  other 
set '  a  few  evenings  ago,  I  also  am  seeing  some  new 
phases  of  character." 

"  And  some  new  phases  in  one  that  you  had  a 
pretty  good  opinion  of  that  night.  I  imagine  you  no 
longer  consider  me  '  capable  of  the  noblest  things.'  ' 

"  I  have  not  changed  my  mind  on  that  point  at 
all,  but — "  and  here  he  hesitated. 

"  But  you  are  discovering  that  I  am  also  capable 
of  just  the  reverse." 

He  flushed,  but  said  gravely,  "  You  put  my 
thought  too  strongly,  Miss  Marsden.  It  would  be 
nearer  the  truth,  if  you  care  for  my  opinion  at  all, 
to  say  that  I  do  not  understand  you." 


230  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

She  also  flushed,  but  said  a  little  coldly,  "  I  am 
not  surprised, 'I  scarcely  understand  myself." 

"  I  find  you  full  of  puzzling  contradictions,"  he 
added  : 

"  Since  I  cannot  contradict  you,  I  will  seek 
some  fallible  creatures  like  myself;"  and  she  vanished, 
leaving  him  as  uncomfortable  and  puzzled  as  ever  he 
had  been  in  his  life. 

She  had  scarcely  entered  the  parlor,  before  both 
De  Forrest  and  Brently  sought  her  hand  for  a  waltz. 
The  latter  had  disgusted  her  before,  and  now  he  was 
too  typsy  for  even  the  willing  blindness  of  girls  like 
Addie  Marchmont,  so  she  escaped  with  De  Forrest, 
but  soon  found  that  his  step  was  out  of  tune  with 
the  music,  or  her  own  mind  so  preoccupied  that 
their  feet  made  discord  with  the  notes.  There 
fore  she  led 'her  subservient  attendant  into  the  con 
servatory,  and  got  rid  of  him  for  a  time  by  the  fol 
lowing  ruse. 

"  I  dropped  something  in  the  supper-room. 
Please  find  it,  and  look  till  you  do." 

De  Forrest's  ideas  were  too  confused  to  ask  what 
she  had  lost ;  and  once  in  the  supper-room  again,  the 
champagne  was  so  inviting,  that  she  with  Brently 
and  others,  finished  another  bottle. 

With  thoughts  dwelling  on  Hemstead's  words, 
she  strolled  to  the  farther  end  of  the  walk,  and  around 
into  another  aisle,  wishing  to  be  alone  for  a  few  mo 
ments.  It  was  then  that  Harcourt  and  Miss  Mar- 
tell  entered,  and  before  she  was  aware,  she  heard  the 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES  OR  MARS. 

uncomplimentary  reference  to  herself,  and  under 
stood  the  significance  of  the  unexpected  scene. 

"  That  is  what  Mr.  Hemstead  thinks  me  capable 
of,"  she  thought,  with  tingling  cheeks — "  making  my 
'  beauty,  the  slave  of  contemptible  vanity,'  and  em 
ploying  it  merely  to  win  flattery  and  attention  for 
myself.  You  put  it  very  plainly,  Mr.  Harcourt.  I 
know  what  your  opinion  of  me  certainly.  I  wish 
I  cared  as  little  what  Mr.  Hemstead  thinks  ;  and  why 
I  should  care  any  more,  I'm  sure  I  don't  know. 
Yes.  I  do,  too.  He's  a  true,  good  man,  and  is  the 
first  one  that  ever  treated  me  as  if  I  were  a  true, 
good  woman.  But  now  I  have  made  it  clear  to  him, 
as  well  as  to  Harcourt  and  Miss  Martell,  what  I 
really  am.  I  knew  what  Brently  was  as  well  as  the 
rest,  and  yet  I  smiled  upon  him  because  the  others 
did.  By  this  time,  both  of  my  most  ardent  admirers 
are  tipsy.  What  is  their  admiration  worth  ?" 

As  she  entered  the  parlors  she  saw  at  a  glance 
what  would  be  the  character  of  the  remaining 
hours.  The  sensuous  spirit  of  wine  would  inspire 
the  gayety  and  intensify  the  natural  excitement  of 
the  ocasion.  Heretofore  she  could  join  in  a  fashion 
able  revel  with  the  keenest  zest,  but  she  could  not 
to-night.  Unconsciously  Miss  Martell  had  given  her 
a  stinging  rebuke.  She  had  been  shown  how  a  beau 
tiful  woman  might  employ  the  power  of  her  fascina 
tions  to  lure  men  into  purer  and  nobler  life,  as  Hem- 
stead  had  suggested  the  morning  after  his  arrival. 
As  she  remembered  that  she  had  .used  her  beauty 
only  to  lure  men  to  her  feet,  that  she  might  enjoy  a 


232  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

momentary  triumph  soon  to  be  forgotten  in  other 
conquests,  she  was  already  more  than  dissatisfied  with 
herself — an  unusual  experience  with  Lottie  Marsden. 

She  refused  half-a-dozen  invitations  to  dance,  and 
was  about  ascending  to  the  dressing-room,  when 
Harcourt  met  her  in  the  hall  and  said  : 

"  I  think  I  had  better  send  De  Forrest  home. 
Hemstead  will  go  with  him." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  Julian  ?  " 

"  Well,  they  say  he  mistook  a  decanter  of  brandy 
for  wine.  At  any  rate  he  is  under  the  table  '  look 
ing  for  something  of  yours/  he  says;  though  what, 
he  does  not  say  or  does  not  know.  What's  more,  we 
can't  get  him  up,  for  he  says  you  told  him  not  to 
leave  the  dinning-room  till  he  found  it.  I  fear  we 
will  have  to  use  force,  unless  you  can  manage  him." 

Then,  with  a  burning  flush  of  shame  she  remem 
bered  how,  in  her  wish  to  be  alone,  she  had  sent  him 
into  temptation,  instead  of  trying  to  shield  and  pro 
tect,  as  had  Miss  Martell  in  the  case  of  Harcourt, 
whose  abstemiousness  had  excited  the  surprise  of 
more  than  one.  But  without  a  word  she  went 
directly  to  the  supper-room  ;  and  there  witnessed  a 
scene  that  she  never  forgot. 

The  elegant  De  Forrest  was  crawling  about  the 
floor,  uttering  her  name  continually  in  connection 
with  the  most  maudlin  sentiment,  and  averring  with 
many  oaths  that  he  would  never  rise  till  he  had  found 
what  she  had  lost. 

Brently,  almost  equally  drunk,  sat  near,  convulsed 
with  laughter,  saying  with  silly  iteration : 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES  OR  MARS.  233 

"  He's  looking  for  Miss  Marsden's  heart." 

Mrs.  Byram  and  her  son  stood  helplessly  by,  their 
manner  showing  that  their  wish  to  be  polite  was 
almost  mastered  by  their  disgust.  Hemstead,  who 
was  trying  to  get  De  Forrest  up,  had  just  given  a 
stern  rebuke  to  one  of  the  giggling  waiters  as  Lottie 
entered. 

It  did  not  take  her  over  a  moment  to  compre 
hend  all.  While  her  face  was  crimson,  she  acted 
decidedly  and  with  a  certain  dignity.  Going  directly 
to  De  Forrest  she  said : 

"  Julian,  I  have  found  what  I  lost.  Get  up  and 
come  with  me." 

His  habitual  deference  to  her  wishes  and  words 
served  him  now.  Her  tone  and  manner  were  quiet 
but  very  firm  and  positive,  and  he  at  once  sought  to 
obey.  Hemstead  and  Harcourt  helped  him  to  his 
feet. 

"  I  am  going  home,  Julian,  and  wish  you  to  go 
with  me,"  she  continued  in  the  same  tone. 

"  Certainly  (hie)  my  dear  (hie)  I'll  do  anything 
(hie)  in  the  world  (hie)  or  any  where  else  for  you." 

A  look  of  intense  disgust  flitted  across  her  face, 
but  she  turned,  and  said  emphatically  to  the  others : 

"  I  am  more  to  blame  for  this  than  he.  I  sent 
him  here  some  time  since,  when  I  knew,  or  ought  to 
have  known,  that  he  should  have  been  kept  away 
from  temptation.  May  I  trespass  so  far  upon  your' 
kindness  as  to  ask  all  present  to  remain  silent  in 
regard  to  this  scene." 

"I   know 'little   of  etiquette,"    said     Hemstead, 


234  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"but  surely  any  one  would  fail  utterly  in  true  cour 
tesy,  did  they  not  acceed  to  that  request." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lottie,  with  a 
look  he  did  not  soon  forget.  "  Will  you  order  the 
sleigh  to  the  door.  Mr.  Harcourt,  will  you  get  Mr. 
De  Forrest's  hat  and  coat?  " 

The  door  leading  into  the  parlor  had  been  closed 
and  locked  as  soon  as  the  trouble  commenced,  and 
thus  the  guests  were  ignorant  of  the  disgraceful 
scene. 

"  Julian,  I  wish  you  to  sit  quietly  here  till  I 
return,"  said  Lottie,  in  the  most  decided  manner. 

He  had  sense  enough  left  to  know  that  some 
thing  was  wrong,  and  that  his  'safest  course  was  to 
yield  to  her.  So,  muttering,  maudlin,  and  dishevelled, 
he  sat  almost  helplessly  in  the  chair  where  he  was 
placed,  with  not  a  trace  of  his  former  elegance  left. 

Lottie  looked  at  him  a  second,  with  a  strange 
expression,  then  taking  Mrs.  Byram  one  side,  asked : 

"  Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  have  the  doors  of  the 
parlors  leading  into  the  hall  closed,  as  if  accidentally, 
when  we  pass  out  ? "  Adding,  "  I  think  if  Mr. 
Byram  can  get  Mr.  Brently  to  his  room  now,  it 
would  also  be  well." 

Mrs.  Byram  commenced  many  professions  of 
regret,  but  Lottie  merely  said  : 

"  I  cannot  think  about  it  now.  I  can  only  act," 
and  she  hastened  away  to  prepare  for  the  drive 
home. 

A  moment  later  De  Forrest  was  steadied  through 
the  hall  and  helped  into  the  sleigh. 


HOW    WOMAN  MAKES  OR  MARS.  235 

"Shall  I  sit  by  him  ?"  asked  Harcourt. 

"  No,"  said  Lottie,  in  the  same  decided  voice. 
"  I  will  take  care  of  him.  I  was  the  cause  of  his 
trouble,  and  will  not  leave  him  till  he  is  safely  home. 
You  will  greatly  oblige  me  if  you  will  remain  with 
Addie  and  Bel,  and  disarm  their  suspicion  and  that 
of  others.  Mr.  Hemstead  will  accompany  me,  and 
we  will  send  the  sleigh  back  immediately." 

"Miss  Marsden,"  said  Harcourt,  "you  are  a 
noble-hearted  girl.  I  will  do  whatever  you  wish." 

"  Thank  you  for  what  you  have  done.  That  is 
all." 

"  The  horses  are  restless,  I  will  sit  with  the  coach 
man,"  said  Hemstead,  .surmising  that  Lottie  would 
desire  all  the  seclusion  possible  under  the  circum 
stances.  He  was  correct,  for  as  Harcourt  retired  she 
said  in  a  low  tone: 

"You  are  right.  I  would  be  glad  to  escape  now 
even  from  your  eyes,  that  are  friendly,  I  trust." 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  with  an  emphasis  that  did  her 
good,  "  most  friendly  "  ;  and  they  drove  away  through 
the  cold  white  moonlight  and  colder  and  whiter 
snow,  and  to  Lottie,  with  her  burdened  conscience 
and  heavy  heart,  the  calm  night  seemed  more  than 
ever  like  a  face  regarding  her  with  cold  and  silent 
scorn. 


236  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MIDNIGHT  VIGILS. 

were  indeed  four  strangely  assorted 
JL  characters  in  that  sleigh  as  they  were  carried 
beyond  the  sounds  of  music  and  gayety,  which,  to 
Hemstead  and  Lottie  Marsden  at  least,  were  little 
less  than  mockery.  There  was  the  stolid  coachman, 
who,  whatever  were  his  thoughts,  had  been  trained 
to  appear  oblivious  to  everything  save  his  duty,  and 
to  be  but  an  animate  part  of  the  "  establishment." 
He  was  much  like  the  horses  he  drove,  living  his 
narrow  material  life  in  the  passing  hour,  knowing  lit 
tle  and  caring  less  about  the  past  or  the  future. 

Hemstead,  in  contrast,  had  a  mind  as  ethereal  as 
faith  could  make  it,  and  a  fancy  enriched  by  wide 
reading.  Heretofore  he  had  lived  chiefly  in  the 
past  and  future,  his  studies  making  him  at  home 
in  the  one,  and  his  hopes  leading  him  forward  into 
the  other.  But  now  a  silent  form  near  him  had  a 
strange  power  to  concentrate  his  thoughts  on  the 
present.  The  man  who  had  speculated  and  reasoned 
about  sinners  in  the  abstract,  and  who  had  classified 
and  divided  them  up  into  well-defined  shades  and 
degrees,  was  now  sorely  puzzled  over  two  of  them, 
that,  in  a  certain  sense,  were  under  his  charge.  What 


MIDNIGHT    VIGILS.  237 

was  also  odd,  his  deepest  sympathy  and  desire  to 
help  did  not  appear  drawn  toward  the  greatest  sin 
ner.  Indeed  for  the  tipsy  youth  he  had  hardly  a 
sentiment  other  than  contempt.  Broad,  impartial 
rules  of  action  and  feeling  seemed  perfectly  correct 
in  the  seminary.  He  forgot  that  he  was  not  carry 
ing  them  out.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  he  was 
like  a  physician  who  stepped  by  the  sickest  patient 
to  a  better  and  more  promising  one.  In  justice  it 
must  be  said  that  he  would  have  put  himself  to  any 
personal  inconvenience,  and  have  made  any  effort  in 
his  power,  were  the  question  brought  to  an  issue,  in 
order  to  work  a  transformation  in  De  Forrest's  char 
acter.  But  for  some  reason  it  was  so  perfectly  nat 
ural  to  take  an  absorbing  interest  in  Lottie's  moral 
state,  that  he  never  asked  himself  why  he  had  not  a 
similar  solicitude  for  Addie  or  Bel  Parton. 

Rigid  and  impartial  rules  are  very  well  till  fallible 
men  come  to  apply  them  to  their  most  fallible  fellow- 
creatures. 

Only  God  can  mercifully  apply  a  perfect  law 
to  imperfect  humanity,  and  if  He  had  a  "  beloved 
disciple,"  might  not  Hemstead  have  a  favorite 
sinner? 

And  an  oddly  related  couple  were  those  two 
young  people  whom  all  supposed  destined  for  a 
union,  that  in  the  judgment  of  friends  would  be  so 
fitting,  but  that  in  truth  would  be  unnatural  and 
productive  of  wretchedness.  Though  Hemstead's 
mind  dwelt  unwaveringly  upon  them,  he  never  once 
looked  back  during  the  drive.  He  would  have  seen 


238  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

a  strange  sight  if  he  had^— a  beautiful  woman  with  a 
face  looking  almost  spirit-like  in  the  pale  moonlight, 
with  her  arm,,  for  the  first  time,  around  a  man  whom 
she  was  beginning  in  the  depths  of  her  soul  to  almost 
loathe.  No  embrace  of  affection  was  that,  but  a 
mechanical  act  prompted  by  a  stern  and  remorseful 
sense  of  duty.  She  shrank  from  the  man  whose 
swaying  form  she  steadied.  It  was  settled  that 
night  in  her  own  soul,  as  if  by  a  decree  of  fate,  that 
she  would  never  marry  Julian  De  Forrest.  And  yet 
it  was  one  of  the  good  traits  in  her  character,  that 
while  she  drew  back  in  shuddering  aversion  from  any 
close  personal  relation  to  him,  she  at  the  same  time 
had  generous,  regretful  pity,  and,  if  she  could  be  kind 
to  him  at  a  distance,  would  be  a  very  faithful 
friend. 

But  why  did  her  eyes  turn  so  often  and  so  wist 
fully  up  to  the  tall  great-coated  form  before  her? 
She  did  not  know.  She  did  not  even  ask  herself. 

Are  we  ever  guided  by  reason,  will,  deliberate 
choice  ?  Are  there  not  often  strong  half-recognized 
instincts  that  sway  us  more  profoundly,  even  as  the 
plant  unconsciously  turns  its  leaves  and  blossoms 
toward  the  sun,  and  sends  its  roots  groping  unerr 
ingly  to  the  moisture  ? 

So  absorbed  was  she  in  looking  at  the  square, 
burly  form  before  her,  that  the  sleigh  suddenly 
stopped  at  Mrs.  Marchmont's  door,  and  Hemstead 
looked  around  and  caught  her  eye.  What  was  more, 
he  saw  her  apparently  loving  embrace  of  De  Forrest. 
He  was  not  sufficiently  versed  in  the  conditions  of 


MIDNIGHT    VIGILS.  239 

intoxication,  nor  did  he  realize  that  De  Forrest  was 
,80  far  gone  as  to  make  the  act  necessary.  But  he 
could  see  her  blush,  even  in  the  moonlight. 

Without  a  word  he  assisted  her  out,  but  had  some 
difficulty  with  De  Forrest,  who,  from  theYumes  of 
liquor  and  the  cold  air,  had  grown  very  drowsy.  But 
Hemstead's  grasp  was  so  strong  and  masterful,  that 
while  he  roused,  he  also  steadied  and  supported  him 
up  the  steps.  Lottie  said  to  the  coachman  : 

"  Mr.  De  Forrest  is  not  well,  so  we  came  home 
earlier.  You  may  now  return  for  the  others." 

The  man  heard  her  with  a  stolid  face^that  might 
have  been  mahogany,  but  when  by  himself  it  relaxed 
into  a  grim  smile  as  he  chuckled  : 

"  I've  seen  people  have  su'ch  spells  afore  ;  but  if 
you  was  my  darter,  miss,  I'd  make  you  give  that 
chap  the  mitten,  'cause  sich  bad  spells  is  wonderful 
apt  to  grow  on  a  feller." 

Mrs.  Marchmont  and  Mr.  Dimmerly  had  retired, 
and  the  rather  dull  servant  who  admitted  them  was 
too  sleepy  to  note  anything.  Lottie  promptly  dis 
missed  her,  and  told  her  she  would  wait  for  the 
others. 

Hemstead  saw  De  Forrest  to  his  room.  He  had 
become  so  stupid  that  he  did  mechanically  what  was 
urged,  and  the  student  soon  left  him  sleeping 
heavily. 

But  Hemstead's  heart  was  strangely  burdened. 
He  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  under  all  her  co 
quetry  and  cousinly  freedom  with  De  Forrest,  she 
had  hidden  a  real  attachment,  and  that  perhaps  an 


240  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

engagement,  or  at  least  an  understanding,  existed  be 
tween  them.  He  did  not  think  at  the  time  why  this 
relation  should  so  depress  him.  He  would  probably 
explain  it  by  his  natural  regret  that  such  a  girl  should 
be  mismated  to  such  a  man.  •  But  it  might  well  have 
been  doubted  whether  his  heart  would  have  become 
suddenly  like  lead,  had  he  discovered  that  his  own 
cousin  was  engaged,  even  to  Brently,  however  sincere 
might  have  been  his  regret.  But  he  descended  to 
the  parlor  with  the  unselfish  purpose  and  wish  to 
bring  her  mind  again  under  the  spell  of  truth,  if  pos 
sible,  hoping  that  the  events  of  the  evening  would 
suggest  the  need  of  a  better  philosophy  than  she 
had  learned  in  the  past. 

But  he  would  have  no  little  difficulty  in  maintain 
ing  his  disinterestedness  and  general  missionary  spirit 
in  the  interview  that  awaited  him. 

For  a  young  man  but  a  few  years  past  his  major 
ity,  with  an  impressible  nature  and  warm  heart,  to 
watch  through  the  witching  hour  of  midnight  with  a 
maiden  like  Lottie  Marsden,  and  all  the  time  have 
no  other  thought  than  her  moral  improvement,  is 
perhaps  asking  too  much  of  human  nature.  With 
the  very  best  intentions  and  with  the  absolute  con 
viction,  as  he  supposed,  that  the  young  lady  could 
only  be  a  subject  for  his  missionary  zeal,  uncon 
sciously  the  beautiful  picture  she  made  with  the  fire 
light  flickering  upon  her  face,  and  the  snowy  opera 
cloak  thrown  around  her,  stole  into  his  heart  that 
was  large  and  empty,  waiting  for  an  occupant. 

"  I  have  drawn  a  chair  close  up  to  the  fire,"  she 


MIDNIGHT    VIGILS.  24! 

said,  "  for  you  must  be  cold  after  riding  on  that  high 
seat  with  the  coachman." 

<4 1  am  not  cold,  but  I  thank  you  all  the  same." 

"  You  have  been  kinder  to  me  than  I  deserved, 
Mr.  Hemstead." 

Truly  Lottie's  gratitude  would  be  a  dangerous 
thing  to  any  man,  as  she  expressed  it  then,  and  the 
disinterested  student  was  conscious  of  a  strange  thrill 
at  heart.  But  he  said,  with  a  flush  of  pleasure  : 

"  I  do  not  know  that  I  have.  At  any  rate  friends 
should  not  keep  a  debit  and  credit  account  with 
each  other." 

"  And  can  you  still  feel  friendly  to   me  after  this 


evening? 


"  Do  I  look  savagely  hostile  ?  "  he  asked  smilingly. 

"  I  feared  you  would  despise  me.  I  certainly 
despise  myself." 

•"  In  the  fact  that  you  so  evidently  blame  your 
self  I  am  less  disposed  to  blame." 

"  But  you-  rightly  think  me  most  worthy  of 
blame." 

"  Do  you  honestly  care  what  I  think,  Miss  Mars- 
den  ?  My  opinions  have  been  formed  in  what  must 
seem  a  plain  and  homely  world  to  you,  quite  devoid 
of  the  elegance  and  fashion  to  which  you  have  been 
accustomed." 

"  I  begin  to  think  it  is  a  better  world  than  mine, 
and  to-night  I  am  sick  of  elegance  and  fashion.  Yes, 
I  honestly  do  care  now  what  you  think.  I  have 
been  flattered  and  lied  to  all  my  life,  and  you  are  the 
first  man  who  told  me  the  unvarnished  truth." 
II 


242  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

He  rose  and  paced  thoughtfully  up  and  down 
the  room  ;  then  looked  dubiously  at  her.  She  was 
so  exquisitely  beautiful,  and  seemed  in  such  a  kindly 
mood,  that  he  was  greatly  tempted  to  temporize  and 
say  smooth  things,  lest  he  should  offend  and  drive  her 
away.  But  conscience  whispered,  "  Now  is  your  op 
portunity  to  speak  the  '  unvarnished  truth/ whatever 
be  the  consequences,"  and  conscience  with  Hemstead 
was  an  imperative  martinet.  She  waited  in  curious 
and  quiet  expectancy.  This  sincere  and  unconven 
tional  man  was  delightfully  odd  and  interesting  to 
her.  She  saw  the  power  and  fascination  of  her 
beauty  upon  him,  and  at  the  same  time  perceived 
that  in  his  crystal  integrity  he  would  give  her  his 
honest  thought.  She  interrupted  his  hesitancy,  and 
said : 

"  You  fear  that  I  will  be  offended  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  I  promise  you  to  listen  patiently — yes,  grate 
fully,  to  the  severest  things  you  can  say." 

"  I  may  test  your  promise  severely.  I  am  a  plain 
and  awkward  man.  Will  you  permit  a  plain  and 
homely  illustration  of  my  thought  ?  '' 

"  I'm  in  a  mood  for  plain  words  to-night.  They 
will  be  in  keeping  with  the  former  events  of  the 
evening,  which  were  plain  enough." 

"  Well,  then,  were  it  possible  that  I  could  be  the 
fortunate  possessor  of  a  statue  by  Phidias,  I  would 
not  use  it  as  a  hat  stand.  If  I  possessed  a  paint 
ing  by  Rubens,  I  would  not  turn  it  into  a  fire 
screen." 


MIDNIGHT    VIGILS.  243 

He  hesitated,  as  he  saw  the  hot  blood  mount  to 
her  face  ;  but  she  said  quietly  : 

"  Go  on.  I  think  I  understand  you." 
He  continued  in  a  tone  that  was  gentle  as  his 
words  seemed  harsh.  "  Believe  me,  I  am  speak 
ing  in  kindness,  and  only  because  you  are  brave 
enough  to  give  me  leave.  As  Phidias  might  em 
body  beauty  itself  in  marble,  so  God  has  bestowed 
it  on  you.  When  I  was  looking  upon  that  marvellous 
scene — that  transfigured  world— the  morning  after 
my  arrival,  you  appeared  and  seemed  a  part  of  it. 
Do  you  remember  what  I  said  then  ?  I  have  reluc 
tantly  thought  to-night  that  you  could  wear  your 
coronet  of  beauty,  not  only  as  a  benignant  queen,  but 
as  a  petty  tyrant — that  you  could  put  it  to  ignoble 
uses,  and  make  it  a  slave  to  self.  It  seemed  at  times 
that  you  only  sought  to  lead  men  to  bow  in  admi 
ration  to  you,  instead  of  inspiring  them  to  stand  erect 
in  true  manhood,  with  their  faces  heavenward.  A 
woman  endowed  as  you  are  can  always  do  with  a 
man  one  of  two  things  :  either  fascinate  him  with  her 
own  personality,  so  that  his  thought  is  only  of  her  ;  or 
else  through  her  beauty  and  words  and  manner,  that 
are  in  keeping,  suggest  the  diviner  loveliness  of  a 
noble  life  and  character.  I  am  satisfied  that  one 
could  not  be  in  Miss  Martell's  society  without  being 
better,  or  wishing  to  be  better.  You  might  have  the 
same  influence,  and  to  a  greater  degree,  because  you 
naturally  have  more  force  and  quicker  sympathies. 
There  is  more  magnetism  in  your  nature,  and  you 
could  understand  and  help,  if  you  chose,  a. wider 


244  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

range  of  character  than  she.  I  doubt  very  much 
whether  Miss  Martell  could  make  herself  much  at 
home  among  the  plain  country  folk  that  you  quite 
carried  by  storm  the  other  evening.  God  has  given 
you  the  power  and  beauty.  Will  you  let  me  ask,  in 
the  spirit  of  kindness,  not  criticism,  Are  you  using 
these  gifts  for  Him,  or  yourself?  " 

Lottie's  eyes  were  moist,  but  her  brow  was  con 
tracted  into  a  thoughtful  frown,  as  she  sat  lowering 
at  the  fire.  After  a  few  moments'  silence,  she  said, 
in  a  tone  of  bitterness  : 

"  As  I  feel  and  see  things  to-night,  I  should  say, 
for  neither  God  nor  myself,  but  solely  and  expressly 
for  the  sake  of  the  Evil  One.  What  good,  what 
happiness,  do  all  the  compliments,  all  the  attention 
I  ever  received,  secure  to  me  to-night  ?  I  thought  I 
was  using  all  for  my  own  benefit.  That  was  my  only 
purpose  and  aim,  but  every  flattering  thing  that  I  can 
remember  is  only  a  burden  to  think  of  now.  I  am 
the  worse  for  my  beauty,  as  you  regard  it.  I  cannot 
think  of  any  one  that  I  have  made  better  ;  but  many 
that  I  have  made  worse.  I  seem  to  have  been 
receiving  all  my  life,  and  yet  to-night  I  feel  as  if  I 
had  nothing  but  a  burden  upon  my  heart." 

Hemstead's  words  were  not  reassuring.  Indeed, 
Lottie  thought  them  a  trifle  harsh,  though  spoken 
so  kindly. 

"  You  cannot  feel  otherwise,  Miss  Marsden. 
"  You  have  been  seeking  to  keep  and  use  for  yourself, 
what  God  meant  you  should  use  for  Him.  You  feel 
very  much  as  you  would,  did  you  take  a  large  sum 


MIDNIGHT    VIGILS.  245 

of  money,  left  in  your  hands  as  a  sacred  trust,  arid  go 
on  a  pleasure  trip  with  it.  He  has  intrusted  to  you 
the  richest  and  rarest  gifts,  and  every  day  that  you 
have  misappropriated  them  is  a  burden  upon  your 
conscience.  You  will  feel  the  same  after  a  long  life 
of  adulation,  in  which  every  whim  was  gratified. 
Believe  me,  Miss  Marsden,  it  is  a  very  sad  thing  to 
come  to  the  end  of  one's  life  with  no  other  posses 
sion  than  a  burdened  conscience  and  a  heavy,  guilty 
heart.  I  long  to  save  you  from  such  a  fate.  That 
would  be  a  wretchedly  poor  result  of  a  life-time  for 
one  endowed  as  you  are." 

"  Your  words  are  very  severe,  Mr.  Hemstead," 
she  said  in  a  low  tone,  burying  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  a  friend,"  he  replied. 

"  I  never  thought  I  could  permit  any  one  to  speak 
to  me  as  you  have,  nor  would  I  endure  it  from  you, 
did  I  not  recognize  something  like  sympathy  in  the 
voice  with  which  you  speak  such  cutting  words. 
But  I  fear  they  are  true,  after  all.  A  burdened  con 
science  and  a  guilty  heart  seem  all  there  is  of  me 
to-night." 

He  was  about  to  reverse  the  picture,  and  portray 
in  strong  and  hopeful  terms  what  she  might  be,  and 
what  she  could  accomplish,  when  the  sleigh-bells 
announced  the  return  of  the  rest  of  the  party.  She 
sprang  up  and  said  hastily : 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  meet  them  to-night,  and  so 
will  retire  at  once.  As  physician  of  the  '  mind  dis 
eased  '  you  clearly  believe  in  what  is  termed  the 
'  heroic  treatment.'  Your  scalpel  is  sharp,  and  you 


246  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

cut  deeply.     But  as  proof  that  I  have  kept  my  word, 
and  am  not  offended,  I  give  you  my  hand." 

He  took  it  in  both  of  his,  but  did  not  speak. 
She  looked  up  at  him  through  the  tears  that  still 
lingered,  and  was  touched  to  see  that  his  eyes  were 
as  moist  as  hers ;  giving  his  hand  a  cordial  pressure, 
she  said  as  she  left  him : 

"  You  cannot  look  at  me  in  harsh  criticism, 
through  tears  of  sympathy.  Youf  face  is  kinder 
than  your  words.  I  am  glad  you  do  not  despise  me." 

Hemstead  admitted  Harcourt  and  the  young 
ladies  into  the  shadowy  hall,  and  then  bade  them 
good  night.  He,  too,  was  in  no  mood  for  Addie's 
gossip  or  Bel's  satire.  They  had  also  found  Har 
court  strangely  silent  and  preoccupied. 

The  evident  influence  of  Miss  Martell  over  Har 
court,  and  their  intimate  relations,  requires  some 
explanation.  He  was  an  orphan,  and  his  father  had 
been  a  friend  of  Mr.  Martell.  During  the  last  ill 
ness  of  the  elder  Mr.  Harcourt,  he  had  asked  his 
friend  to  take  some  interest,  and  when  possible,  to 
give  his  son  friendly  counsel.  To  a  man  like  Mr. 
Martell,  such  a  request  was  like  a  sacred  obligation  ; 
and  he  had  sought  to  do  more  than  was  asked.  He 
wrote  the  young  man  almost  fatherly  letters,  and 
often  invited  him  to  his  house.  Thus  it  came  about 
that  the  influence  of  Mr.  Martell  and  his  daughter 
did  more  to  restrain  the  wayward  tendencies  of  young 
Harcourt  than  all  other  things  combined  ;  and  it 
must  be  confessed  that  the  little  blue-eyed  girl  had 
more  influence  than  the  wise  old  father.  She  seemed 


MIDNIGHT   VIGILS.  247 

to  take  almost  a  sisterly  interest  in  him,  and  occa 
sionally  wrote  such  a  sweet  little  letter,  that  he  would 
reform  his  college  life  for  a  week  thereafter.  But  he 
seemed  to  have  a  dash  of  wild  blood  that  would 
break  out  only  too  often  into  indiscretions,  the 
rumors  of  which  filled  his  kind  friend  Mr.  Marteli 
with  anxiety.  But  Clara,  his  daughter,  ever  insisted 
that  he  would  "  come  out  all  right." 

"  Tom  has  a  good  heart,  father,"  she  would  say ; 
and  so,  with  woman's  faith,  she  hoped  where  her 
father  feared. 

If  Harcourt  could  have  been  continually  under 
their  influence  he  would  undoubtedly  have  developed 
into  a  far  better  man.  But  between  absence  at  col 
lege  and  the  law  school,  and  some  travel  during 
vacations,  he  saw  less  and  less  of  them.  Clara  also 
was  kept  very  steadily  at  school,  and  during  the  last 
two  years  of  her  studies  they  had  missed  each  other 
in  vacations,  and  met  but  seldom. 

But  something  more  than  maidenly  modesty  and 
pride  made  Clara  shy  and  reserved  when  with  Har 
court.  She  would  think  more  about  him,  but  talk 
less  to  him  than  to  others  when  in  company.  She  was 
a  peculiarly  sensitive,  diffident  girl,  and  instinctively 
shrank  from  the  man  who  had  for  her  the  strongest 
interest. 

On  completing  her  studies  her  father  had  taken 
her  abroad,  and  they  had  spent  two  or  three  years  in 
travel.  The  extraordinary  graces  of  her  person  were 
but  the  reflex  of  her  richly  cultivated  mind.  Even 
abroad  she  had  many  admirers ;  but  with  tact,  firm- 


248  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ness,  and  inimitable  grace,  she  ever  sought  to  prevent 
false  hopes,  and  so  had  fewer  offers  than  an  ordinary 
coquette.  But  many  who  soon  learned  that  they 
could  never  establish  a  dearer  relation,  became  strong 
friends,  and  also  better  men  ;  for  Clara  Martell  seemed 
to  have  the  power  of  evoking  all  the  good  there  was 
in  a  man,  and  of  putting  him  under  a  kind  of  sacred 
obligation  to  be  true  and  manly,  as  the  result  of  her 
acquaintance.  However  deep  and  lasting  regret 
may  have  been,  no  man  ever  left  her  presence  in 
harsh  and  bitter  contempt  for  the  very  name  of 
woman,  as  too  often  had  been  the  case  with  Lottie 
Marsden.  Those  who  knew  her  least,  said  she  was 
cold,  and  those  who  knew  her  true,  womanly  heart 
best,  wondered  at  her  continued  indifference  to  every 
suit.  And  sometimes  she  wondered  at  herself — how 
it  was,  that  all  the  attention  she  received  scarcely 
ever  quickened  her  pulse. 

But  when  after  long  absence  she  returned  and 
met  the  friend  and  playmate  of  her  childhood — the 
wayward  youth  to  whom  she  was  accustomed  to  give 
sisterly  counsel — her  pulse  was  so  strangely  quick 
ened,  and  the  blood  so  quick  to  mount  to  her  face  at 
his  every  word  and  look,  that  she  began  to  understand 
herself  somewhat. 

They  had  but  recently  returned  to  their  residence 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  ;  and  Harcourt  was 
made  a  welcome  visitor. 

Having  completed  his  professional  studies,  the 
young  man  had  succeeded  largely  to  the  practice  of 
his  deceased  father,  and  was  doing  well  in  a  business 


MIDNIGHT   VIGILS.  249 

point  of  view.  He  had  inherited  enough  property 
to  secure  a  good  start  in  life,  but  not  enough  to  rob 
him  of  the  wholesome  stimulus  which  comes  from  the 
need  of  self-exertion.  He  had  an  acute,  active  mind. 
Abundance  of  intellect  and  fire  flashed  from  his  dark 
eyes,  and  we  have  seen  that  he  was  not  without  good 
and  generous  traits.  But  in  his  spiritual  life  he  had 
become  materialistic  and  sceptical.  His  associates 
were  brilliant,  but  fast  men  ;  and  for  him  also  the 
wine  cup  was  gaining  dangerous  fascination. 

Mr.  Martell,  in  the  spirit  of  the  most  friendly 
interest,  soon  learned  these  facts  after  his  return,  and 
also  the  gossip,  which  brought  a  sudden  paleness  to 
his  daughter's  cheek,  that  he  was  engaged,  or  the 
same  as  engaged,  to  Addie  Marchmont. 

While  Clara  therefore  was  kind,  she  seemed  to 
avoid  him;  and  he  found  it  almost  impossible  to  be 
alone  with  her.  She  had  always  dwelt  in  his  mind, 
more  as  a  cherished  ideal,  a  revered  saint,  than  as  an 
ordinary  flesh-and-blood  girl  with  whom  he  was  fit  to 
associate,  and  for  a  time  after  her  return  her  manner 
increased  this  impression.  He  explained  the  recog 
nized  fact  that  she  shunned  his  society,  by  thinking 
that  she  knew  his  evil  tendencies,  and  that  to  her 
believing  and  Christian  spirit,  his  faithless  and  irreg 
ular  life  was  utterly  uncongenial.  For  a  short  time 
he  had  tried  to  ignore  her  opinion  and  society  in 
reckless  indifference  ;  but  the  loveliness  of  her  person 
and  character  daily  grew  more  fascinating,  and  his 
evil  habits  lost  in  power  as  she  gained.  For  some 
little  time  before  Mrs.  Byram's  company,  he  had  been 
n* 


25O  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

earnestly  wishing-  that  he  could  become  worthy 
of  at  least  her  esteem  and  old  friendly  regard,  not 
daring  to  hope  for  anything  more.  It  never  occurred 
to  him  that  gossip  had  coupled  his  name  with  his 
cousin  •  Addie,  and  that  this  fact  influenced  Miss 
Martell's  manner  as  well  as  his  tendencies  toward 
dissipation.  He  laid  it  all  to  the  latter  cause,  and 
was  beginning  to  feel  that  he  could  live  the  life  of  an 
ascetic,  if  this  lovely  saint  would  only  permit  his 
devotion. 

And  Clara,  so  sensitive  where  he  was  concerned, 
thought  she  saw  a  change  in  him  for  the  better,  and 
in  the  spirit  of  womanly  self-sacrifice  was  resolving 
to  see  more  of  him  than  was  prudent  for  her  peace 
of  mind,  if  by  so  doing  she  could  regain  her  old 
power  to  advise  and  restrain. 

With  gladness  she  recognized  her  influence  over 
him  at  Mrs.  Byram's  company,  and  as  we  have  seen, 
made  the  most  of  it.  But  with  surprise  and  some 
strange  thrills  at  heart,  she  noted  that  he  and  Addie 
Marchmont  did  not  act  as  an  engaged  couple  naturally 
would  ;  and  observed,  with  disgust,  that  Miss  March 
mont  seemed  more  pleased  with  Brently's  attentions 
than  Lottie  Marsden  had  been. 

That  a  man  of  Harcourt's  force  and  mind  should 
be  captivated  by  such  a  girl  as  Miss  Marchmont,  had 
been  a  mystery  ;  and  she  thought,  when  seeing  them 
together  in  Mrs.  Byram's  parlors  : 

"  They  take  it  more  coolly  than  any  people  I 
ever  saw." 

Addie  appeared  engrossed  with  the  attentions  of 


MIDNIGHT   VIGILS.  2$  I 

others,  and  Harcourt  not  in  the  least  jealous  or 
annoyed.  In  brief,  they  acted  like  cousins,  and  not 
in  the  least  like  lovers. 

But  in  the  sensitive  delicacy  of  her  character  she 
would  not  permit  her  mind  to  dwell  on  the  problem 
of  their  relations,  and  bent  all  her  thoughts  upon  her 
effort  to  win  Harcourt  to  a  better  life. 

And  she  had  moved  him  that  evening  more  deep 
ly  than  she  could  know.  Neither  she,  nor  any  finite 
power,  could  plant  righteous  principle  within  his  soul 
and  transform  his  character;  but  she  had  created,  for 
the  time  at  least,  an  utter  distaste  for  all  low  and 
sensual  pleasures,  and  an  honest  and  absorbing  wish 
to  become  a  true,  good  man.  He  felt  that  he  could 
not  be  in  her  society,  and  breathe  the  pure  atmos 
phere  of  her  life  and  be  his  old  self. 

Never  did  a  man  return  from  a  fashionable  revel 
in  a  more  serious  and  thoughtful  mood,  and  equally 
with  Lottie  and  Hemstead  he  was  glad  to  escape  the 
trifling  chat  and  gossip  of  Addie  and  Bel  Parton,  to 
the  welcome  solitude  of  his  own  room. 


FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
HEMSTEAD'S  HEAVY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL. 

THE  "  day  after  the  ball  "  has  its  proverbial  char 
acter,  and  Saturday  was  so  long  and  dismal  to 
several  of  the  revellers,  that  it  occurred  to  them  that 
their  pleasure  had  been  purchased  rather  dearly.  It 
seemed  an  odd  coincidence,  that  those  who  had  been 
bent  on  securing  all  the  pleasure  possible,  with  no 
other  thought,  suffered  the  most.  Bel  and  Addie 
could  scarcely  endure  their  own  company,  they  were 
so  weary  and  stupid  ;  and  they  yawned  through  the 
day,  irritable  and  dishevelled,  for  it  was  too  stormy 
for  callers. 

De  Forrest  did  not  appear  until  dinner,  and  then 
came  down  moody  and  taciturn.  The  young  ladies 
had  heard  of  his  illness  the  evening  before,  with  sig 
nificant  glances,  and  Mrs.  Marchmont  partly  surmised 
the  truth,  but  politely  ignored  the  matter,  treating 
it  only  as  a  sudden  indisposition  ;  and  so  the  affair 
was  passed  over,  as  they  usually  are  in  fashionable 
life,  until  they  reach  a  stage  too  pronounced  for  polite 
blindness. 

De  Forrest  but  dimly  recollected  the  events  of 
the  preceding  evening.  He  was  quite  certain,  how 
ever,  that  he  had  been  drunk,  and  had  made  a  fool 
of  himself. 


HEMSTEAD'S  HEA  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL.    253 

Though  his  conscience  was  not  over  tender  upon 
this  subject,  and  though  such  occurrences  were  not 
so  exceedingly  rare  in  fashionable  life  as  to  be  very 
shocking,  he  still  had  the  training  and  instinct  of  a 
gentleman,  to  a  sufficient  degree  to  feel  deep  morti 
fication. 

If  he  had  become  tipsy  among  those  of  his  own 
sex,  or  while  off  on  a  fishing  excursion,  he  would 
have  regarded  it  as  a  light  matter ;  but  even  in  his 
eyes,  intoxication  at  an  evening  company,  and  before 
the  girl  in  whose  estimation  he  most  wished  to  stand 
well,  was  a  very  serious  matter.  He  could  not 
remember  much  after  going  a  second  time  to  the  sup 
per-room  in  compliance  with  Lottie's  request,  but 
had  a  vague  impression  that  she  and  Hemstead  had 
brought  him  home.  He  was  left  in  torturing  uncer 
tainty  how  far  he  had  disgraced  himself,  because  it 
was  a  subject  concerning  which  he  could  not  bring 
himself  to  make  inquiries.  That  those  he  met  at 
the  dinner-table  treated  him  with  their  usual  quiet 
politeness  proved  nothing.  Human  faces  mask  more 
thoughts  than  are  expressed.  Hemstead's  grave 
silence  was  somewhat  significant  ;  but  De  Forrest 
cared  so  little  for  his  opinion  that  he  scarcely  heeded 
the  student's  manner. 

Lottie  Marsden  was  the  one  he  most  wished,  and 
yet  most  dreaded  to  see.  But  Lottie  did  not  appear. 

Whether  it  was  true,  as  she  believed,  or  not,  that 
she  was  the  most  guilty,  she  certainly  was  the  great 
est  sufferer,  and  that  Saturday  became  the  longest 
and  dreariest  period  of  pain,  that  she  ever  experi- 


254  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

enced.  She  awoke  in  the  morning  with  a  nervous 
headache,  which  grew  so  severe  that  she  declined 
leaving  her  room  during  the  day.  Bel,  Addie,  and 
her  aunt,  all  offered  to  do  anything  in  their  power  ; 
but  she  only  asked  to  be  left  alone.  She  was  so 
unstrung,  that  even  words  of  kindness  and  solicitude 
jarred  like  discord. 

It  was  torture  to  think,  and  yet  her  brain  was 
unnaturally  active.  Everything  presented  itself  in 
the  most  painfully  bare  and  accurate  manner.  The 
glamour  faded  out  of  her  gay  young  life,  and  she  saw 
only  the  hard  lines  of  fact.  Hemstead's  words  kept 
repeating  themselves  over  and  over  again,  and  in 
their  light  she  questioned  the  past  closely.  It  was 
not  in  keeping  with  her  positive  nature  and  strong 
mind  to  do  things  by  halves.  With  fixed  and  steady 
scrutiny  she  reviewed  the  motives  of  her  life,  and 
estimated  the  results.  They  were  so  unsatisfactory 
as  to  startle  her.  Although  the  spent  years  had 
been  filled  with  continuous  and  varied  activity,  what 
had  she  accomplished  for  herself  or  any  one  else  ? 
Were  not  all  her  past  days  like  water  spilled  on  bar 
ren  sands,  producing  nothing? 

As  she  had  before  intimated,  she  had  been  receiv 
ing  homage,  flattery,  and  even  love,  all  her  life,  and 
yet  now  her  heart  had  no  treasures  to  which  she 
could  turn  in  solid  satisfaction,  nor  could  memory 
recall  efforts  like  that  she  saw  Miss  Martell  making 
in  behalf  of  Harcourt.  The  adulation  received  was 
now  empty  breath  and  forgotten  words,  and  nothing 
substantial  or  comforting  remained. 


HEMSTEAD'S  HE  A  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL.    255 

But  if  memory  could  recall  little  good  accom 
plished,  it  placed  in  long  and  dark  array  many 
scenes  that  she  would  gladly  have  forgotten. 

What  can  be  worse — what  need  we  fear  more — 
than  to  be  left  alone  forever  with  a  guilty  and  accus 
ing  conscience,  and  no  respite,  no  solace?  What 
perdition  need  a  man  shrink  from  more  than  to  go 
away  alone  from  his  earthly  life,  to  where  memory — a 
pale  and  silent  spectre — will  turn  the  pages  of  his 
daily  record,  and  point  to  what  was,  and  what  might 
have  been  ? 

A  shallow-minded  girl  would  have  been  incapable 
of  this  searching  self-analysis.  A  weak,  irresolute 
girl  like  Bel  Parton  would  have  taken  a  sedative,  and 
escaped  a  miserable  day  in  sleep.  But  with  all  her 
faults,  Lottie  abounded  in  practical  common  sense ; 
and  Hemstead's  words  and  her  own  experience  sug 
gested  that  she  might  be  doing  herself  a  very  great 
wrong.  She  felt  that  it  was  no  light  matter  to  make 
one's  whole  life  a  blunder,  and  to  invest  all  one's 
years  and  energies  in  what  paid  no  better  interest 
than  she  had  received  that  day.  Her  physical  pain 
and  mental  distress  acted  and  reacted  upon  each 
other  until  at  last,  wearied  out,  she  sobbed  herself  to 
sleep. 

Both  De  Forrest  and  Hemstead  were  greatly  in 
hopes  that  she  would  be  at  the  supper-table,  but  they 
did  not  see  her  that  day.  The  former,  with  his  ach 
ing  head  and  heavy  heart,  learned,  if  never  before, 
that  the  "  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard."  But 
though,  the  latter  could  not  be  regarded  as  a  trans- 


256  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

gressor,  his  way  was  hard  also  that  long  day,  and  he 
whom  Lottie,  in  the  memory  of  his  severe  words, 
regarded  somewhat  as  her  stern  accuser,  was  more 
than  ready  to  take  all  her  pains  and  woes  upon  him 
self,  could  he  have  relieved  her. 

He  now  bitterly  condemned  himself  for  having 
been  too  harsh  in  the  wholesome  truth  he  had 
brought  home  to  the  flattered  girl.  It  was  rather 
severe  treatment ;  still  she  was  vigorous,  and  would 
be  all  the  better  for  it.  But  now  her  faithful  physi 
cian,  as  he  heard  how  ill  and  suffering  she  was,  almost 
wished  that  he  had  but  faintly  suggested  the  truth 
in  homoeopathic  doses. 

At  the  same  time  he  supposed  that  her  indisposi 
tion  was  caused  more  by  her  shame  and  grief  at  the 
conduct  of  De  Forrest,  than  from  anything  he  had  said. 
The  impression  that  she  was  attached  or  engaged 
to  De  Forrest  was  becoming  almost  a  conviction. 

Though  Lottie  had  never,  by  a  word,  bound  her 
self  to  her  cousin,  yet  her  aunt  and  all  the  household 
regarded  her  as  virtually  engaged  to  him,  and 
expected  that  the  marriage  would  eventually  occur. 
With  Hemstead,  they  regarded  her  illness  and  seclu 
sion  as  the  result  of  her  mortification  at  his  behavior, 
and  underneath  their  politic  politeness  were  very 
indignant  at  his  folly.  But  they  expected  that  the 
trouble  would  soon  blow  over,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
The  mantle  of  charity  for  young  men  as  rich  and 
well-connected  as  De  Forrest,  is  very  large.  And 
then  this  slip  could  be  regarded  somewhat  in  the 
light  of  an  accident ;  for  when  it  became  evident  that 


HEMSTEAD'S  HEA  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL. 

Bel  understood  the  nature  of  De  Forrest's  "spell," 
as  the  coachman  called  it,  Lottie  had  taken  pains  to 
insist  that  it  was  an  accident  for  which  she  was  chiefly 
to  blame  ;  and  had  also  said  as  much  to  Mrs.  March- 
mont.  Thus  they  all  concluded  that  her  relations 
with  De  Forrest  would  not  be  disturbed. 

Harcourt  was  the  happiest  of  the  party;  but  it 
must  be  confessed  that,  clearer  than  any  law  points,  he 
saw  still  among  blooming  exotics  a  being  that  seemed 
far  more  rare  and  beautiful,  who  stood  before  him 
the  whole  day  with  clasped  hands  and  entreating  eyes, 
whose  only  request  was,  "  Be  a  true  man."  Under 
the  inspiration  of  her  words  and  manner  he  began 
to  hope  that  he  might  eventually  grant  her  request. 

As  far  as  Lottie's  interceding  image  would  per 
mit,  Hemstead  concentrated  all  his  energies  on  the 
great  sermon,  the  elaborate  effort  of  many  months, 
that  he  expected  to  preach  on  the  morrow.  He 
hoped  Lottie,  and  indeed  that  all,  would  be  there, 
for  it  seemed  that  if  they  would  only  give  him  their 
thoughtful  attention  he  would  prove  beyond  a  shadow 
of  a  doubt  that  they  were  in  God's  hands,  and  that 
it  would  be  worse  than  folly  not  to  submit  to  His 
shaping  and  moulding  discipline. 

At  last  Sunday  morning  came.  It  was  a  cold, 
chilly,  leaden  day,  and  even  a  glance  from  the  win 
dows  gave  one  a  shivering  sense  of  discomfort. 

The  gloom  of  nature  seemed  to  shadow  the  faces 
of  some  of  the  party  as  they  gathered  at  a  late  break 
fast  ;  and  of  none  was  this  more  true  than  of  Lottie 
Marsden,  as  pale  and  languid  she  took  her  wonted 


258  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

place.  Her  greeting  of  De  Forrest  was  most  kindly, 
and  he  seemed  greatly  reassured  and  brightened  up 
instantly.  But  Lottie's  face  did  not  lose  its  deep 
dejection. 

To  the  others  she  appeared  to  take  very  little 
notice  of  Hemstead  ;  but  he  thought  that  he  observed 
her  eyes  furtively  seeking  his  face,  with  a  question 
ing  expression.  Once  he  answered  her  glance  with 
such  a  frank,  sunny  smile  that  her  own  face  lighted 
up.  As  they  were  passing  into  the  parlor  he  said,  in 
a  low  tone : 

"  I  wished  a  hundred  times  yesterday  that  I  could 
bear  your  headache  for  you." 

"  That  is  more  kind  than  just.  It  is  right  that  I 
should  get  my  deserts,"  she  replied,  shaking  her  head. 

"  Heaven  save  us  from  our  deserts,"  he  answered 
quickly. 

Before  she  could  speak  again,  De  Forrest  was  by 
her  side  and  said,  "  Let  me  wheel  the  lounge  up  to 
the  fire,  and  I  will  read  anything  you  wish  this 
morning." 

"  Oh  no,  I'm  going  to  church." 

"  Miss  Lottie,  I  beg  of  you  do  not  go.  You  are 
not  able." 

"  Yes,  I  am  ;  the  air  will  do  me  good.  It's  the 
Sunday  before  Christmas,  Julian,  and  we  both  ought 
to  be  at  church." 

"  Oh,  certainly,  I'll  go  if  you  wish  it." 

"  I  hope  your  sermon  will  do  me  good,  Mr.  Hem- 
stead.  I'm  wofully  blue,"  she  said,  as  she  left  the 
room  to  prepare  for  church. 


HEM  STEAD'S  HE  A  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL. 

"  I  think  it  will,"  he  replied,  "  for  I  have  prepared 
it  with  a  great  deal  of  care." 

The  building  was  a  small  but  pretty  gothic  struc 
ture,  and  its  sacred  quiet  did  seem  to  Lottie  some 
what  like  a  refuge.  With  an  interest  such  as  she 
had  never  felt  in  the  elegant  city  temple,  she  waited 
for  the  service  to  commence,  honestly  hoping  that 
there  might  be  something  that  would  comfort  and 
reassure. 

But  Hemstead  went  through  the  preliminary  ser 
vices  with  but  indifferent  grace  and  effect.  He  was 
embarrassed  and  awkward,  as  is  usually  the  case  with 
those  who  have  seldom  faced  an  audience,  and  who 
are  naturally  very  diffident.  But  as  he  entered  upon 
his  sermon,  his  self-consciousness  began  to  pass 
away,  and  he  spoke  with  increasing  power  and  effect. 

He  took  as  his  text  words  from  the  nth  chapter 
of  St.  John,  wherein  Jesus  declares  to  his  disciples 
in  regard  to  the  death  of  Lazarus. 

"  I  am  glad,  for  your  sakes,  that  I  was  not  there 
to  the  intent  that  ye  may  believe." 

The  importance  of  faith — believing — as  the  source 
of  Christian  life,  and  the  ground  of  man's  acceptance 
with  God,  was  his  subject,  from  which  he  wandered 
somewhat — a  course  often  noted  in  the  ministerial 
tyro. 

He  presented*  his  views  strongly,  however,  but 
they  were  partial  and  unripe,  giving  but  one  side  of 
the  truth,  and  therefore  calculated  to  do  injury 
rather  than  good.  He  did  not — he  could  not — over 
estimate  the  importance  of  faith,  but  he  unwittingly 


260  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

misrepresented  God,  in  his  efforts  to  inspire  this 
faith,  and  the  Christian  life  resulting ;  and  he  under 
valued  our  earthly  state  and  its  interests. 

He  sketched  in  strong  outlines  the  experience  of 
the  little  family  at  Bethany,  portraying  with  vivid 
realism  the  suffering  of  the  man  whom  Jesus  loved, 
the  anxiety  of  the  sisters  when  Lazarus  became  ill — 
this  anxiety  passing  into  fear,  dread,  sickening  cer 
tainty,  and  despair — the  anguish  of  bereavement, 
the  loneliness  and  heart-breaking  sorrow  of  four 
days,  and  that  most  agonized  wrench  of  the  heart 
when  the  beloved  form  is  left  alone  to  corrupt  in  the 
dark  and  silent  sepulchre. 

Having  presented  this  picture  in  such  true  and 
sombre  colors  that  the  gloom  was  reflected  from  the 
faces  of  all  his  hearers,  they  being  reminded  that  this 
would  be  their  lot  ere  long,  he  passed  suddenly  from 
the  painful  scenes  of  Bethany  to  Bethabara,  beyond 
Jordan,  where  was  sojourning  the  mysterious  Prophet 
of  Nazareth,  who  had  so  often  proved  his  power  to 
heal  every  disease.  He  enlarged  upon  the  fact  that 
Jesus,  seeing  and  knowing  all  the  fear  and  suffering 
at  Bethany  which  he  could  change  by  a  word  into 
gladness,  did  not  interfere,  but  decreed  that  the  ter 
rible  ordeal  should  be  endured  to  the  bitter  end. 

From  this  he  reasoned  that  the  transient  sorrows 
and  passing  pains  of  the  household  at  Bethany  were 
of  little  moment,  and  that  God,  in  the  advancement 
of  his  own  glory  and  the  accomplishment  of  his  great 
plans,  would  never  turn  aside  because  his  human 
children  in  their  short-sighted  weakness  would  stay 


HEMSTEAD'S  HE  A  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL.    26 1 

his  heavy  hand  if  they  could.  He  knew  all  that  was 
occurring  at  Bethany,  but  quietly  and  calmly  per 
mitted  it  to  take  place,  and  in  this  case  it  was  the 
same  as  if  he  had  willed  it. 

He  then  proceeded  to  show  that  the  Divine  pur 
pose  had  not  only  a  wide  and  general  sweep,  embrac 
ing  the  race,  and  extending  through  all  time,  but 
that  there  was  a  minute  providence  encompassing 
each  life.  If  there  were  any  good  in  us,  God  would 
bring  it  out,  nor  would  he  spare  us  in  the  effort. 
The  preacher,  unfortunately  and  unconsciously  to 
himself,  gave  the  impression  that  God  acted  on  the 
principle  that  he  could  accomplish  far  more  with 
the  rod  of  affliction  than  anything  else,  and  that 
when  he  fully  set  about  the  task  of  winning  a  soul 
from  sin,  his  first  step  was  to  stretch  it  upon  the 
rack  of  some  kind  of  suffering.  He  also  intensified 
this  painful  impression,  by  giving  the  idea  that  God 
thought  little  of  the  processes  which  might  be  so 
painful  to  us,  but  fixed  His  eye  only  on  the  result. 
If  people  became  sullen,  rebellious,  or  reckless  under 
His  discipline,  they  were  like  misshapen  clay,  that 
the  potter  must  cast  aside.  The  crude  ore  must  go 
into  the  furnace,  and  if  there  was  good  metal  in  it 
the  fact  would  appear. 

"  Sooner  or  later,"  he  said,  "  God  will  put  every 
soul  into  the  crucible  of  affliction.  Sooner  or  later 
we  shall  all  be  passing  through  scenes  like  that  of  the 
family  at  Bethany.  We  may  not  hope  to  escape. 
God  means  we  shall  not.  As  Christ  firmly,  while 
seeing  and  knowing  all,  left  events  at  Bethany  to 


262  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

their  designed  course,  so  he  will  as  surely  and  steadily 
carry  out  the  discipline,  which  he,  as  the  unerring 
physician  of  the  soul,  sees  that  each  one  of  us 
requires.  Does  the  refiner  hesitate  to  put  the  crude 
ore  into  the  crucible?  Does  the  sculptor  shrink 
from  chiselling  the  shapeless  block  into  beauty  ?  Does 
not  the  surgeon,  with  nerves  of  steel  and  pulse  un- 
quickened,  cut  near  the  very  vitals  of  his  agonized 
patient  ?  He  sees  that  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to 
save  from  greater  evil,  and  therefore  he  is  as  remorse 
less  as  fate.  If  to  cure  some  transient,  physical 
infirmity,  man  is  justified — nay  more,  is  compelled — 
to  inflict  so  much  suffering  upon  his  fellow-creatures, 
how  much  more  is  God  justified  in  his  severest-moral 
discipline,  which  has  as  its  object  our  eternal  health? 
Though  we  shrink  from  the  sorrow,  though  we  writhe 
under  the  pain,  though  our  hearts  break  a  thousand 
times,  he  will  not  waver  in  his  calm,  steadfast  purpose. 
He  sees  eternity,  the  present  is  as  nothing  to  him. 
He  will  break  our  grasp  from  all  earthly  idols,  even 
though  he  tear  our  bleeding  hearts  asunder.  If  we 
are  trusting  in  aught  save  Him,  that  upon  which  we 
are  leaning  will  be  snatched  away,  even  though  we 
fall  at  first  into  the  depths  of  despairing  sorrow. 
What  he  makes  us  suffer  now  is  not  to  be  consid 
ered,  in  view  of  his  purpose  to  wean  us  from  the 
world  and  prepare  us  for  the  next.  Christ,  as  we 
learn  from  our  text,  is  as  inflexible  as  fate,  and  does 
not  hesitate  to  secure  the  needful  faith  by  remaining 
away,  even  though  the  message  of  the  sisters  was  an 
entreaty  in  itself.  Nay  more,  he  distinctly  declares 


HEMSTEAD'S  HE  A  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL.     263 

to  his  disciples,  '  I  was  glad  for  your  sakes  I  was  not 
there,  to  the  intent  that  ye  may  believe.' 

"  In  conclusion,  we  assert  that  we  ought  to  rise 
above  our  human  weakness  and  co-work  with  God. 
Instead  of  clinging  so  to  the  present,  we  ought  to 
think  of  the  eternal  future,  and  welcome  the  harshest 
discipline  which  prepares  us  for  that  future.  We 
should  mortify  ourselves,  trample  our  earthly  natures 
under  our  feet.  To  that  degree  that  we  can  bring 
ourselves  to  think  less  of  earth — we  shall  think  more 
of  heaven.  Our  business,  our  earthly  hopes  and 
plans,  our  dearest  ties,  may  be  fatal  snares  to  our 
souls.  The  husband  may  make  an  idol  of  his  wife — 
the  mother  of  her  child.  God  jealously  watches  ;  we 
should  watch  more  jealously.  The  sisters  may  have 
been  loving  their  brother  and  trusting  to  his  protec 
tion  more  than  in  Christ.  We  should  hold  all 
earthly  possessions  in  fear  and  trembling,  as  some 
thing  not  our  own,  but  only  committed  for  a  brief 
time  to  our  trust.  We  should  remember  that  the 
one  great  object  of  this  life  is  to  secure  that  faith 
which  leads  to  preparation  for  the  life  to  come.  The 
harsher  our  experiences  are  here,  the  better,  if  they 
more  surely  wean  us  from  earth  and  all  earthly  things, 
and  make  eternity  the  habitation  of  our  thoughts.  We 
see  how  stern  and  resolute  God  is  in  his  great  pur 
pose  to  stamp  out  'unbelief  from  the  world.  Jesus 
would  not  save  the  family  at  Bethany  that  he  loved 
— the  family  that  freely  gave  hospitality  and  love  in 
return  when  nearly  all  the  world  was  hostile.  Do 
not  think,  then,  that  he  will  spare  us.  Let  us  there- 


264  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

fore,  not  spare  ourselves,  but  with  remorseless  hands 
smite  down  every  earthly  object  that  hides  from  our 
view  the  wide  ocean  of  eternity.  As  the  wise  men 
from  the  East  travelled  steadily  across  arid  wastes  with 
eyes  fixed  only  on  the  strange  bright  luminary  that 
was  guiding  them  to  Bethlehem,  so  we  should  regard 
this  world  as  a  desert  across  which  we  must  hasten 
to  the  presence  of  our  God." 

As  Hemstead  forgot  himself,  and  became  absorbed 
with  his  theme,  he  spoke  with  impressiveness  and 
power  ;  and  everywhere  throughout  the  audience  was 
seen  that  thoughtful  contraction  of  the  brow  and 
fixed  gaze  which  betoken  deep  attention.  But  upon 
the  faces  of  nearly  all  was  the  expression  of  one 
listening  to  something  painful.  This  was  especially 
true  of  Miss  Martell  and  her  father,  while  Harcourt's 
face  grew  cold  and  satirical.  Lottie  looked  pale  and 
sullen,  and  De  Forrest  was  evidently  disgusted.  Mr. 
Dimmerly  fidgeted  in  his  seat,  and  even  complacent 
Mrs.  Marchmont  seemed  a  little  ruffled  and  disturbed, 
while  her  daughter  Addie  was  in  a  state  of  irritable 
protest  against  both  preacher  and  sermon.  Poor  Bel 
was  merely  frightened  and  conscience-stricken,  her 
usual  condition  after  every  sermon  to  which  she 
listened. 

As,  during  the  brief  remnant  of  the  service, 
Hemstead  dropped  down  into  consciousness  of  the 
world  around  him,  he  felt  at  first,  rather  than  saw, 
the  chill  he  had  caused,  instead  of  a  glow  answering 
to  his  own  feelings.  As  he  looked  closer,  he  imagined 
he  detected  a  gloomy  and  forbidding  expression  on 


HEM  STEAD'S  HEA  VY  GUN  AND  ITS  RECOIL.    26$ 

the  faces  turned  toward  him.  The  Gospel — the  mes 
sage  of  good  news  that  he  had  brought — appeared 
to  shadow  the  audience  like  a  passing  cloud. 

After  dismission,  the  people  aroused  themselves 
as  from  an  oppressive  dream.  The  few  greetings 
and  congratulations  that  he  received  as  he  passed 
down  the  aisle  seemed  formal  and  constrained,  and, 
he  thought,  a  little  insincere.  He  was  still  more 
puzzled  as  he  overheard  Miss  Martell  say  to  Har- 
court  at  the  door: 

"  I  am  sorry  you  heard  that  sermon." 

"  I  am,  too,"  he  replied,  "  for  it  seemed  true." 

"'It's  only  a  half  truth,"  she  said  earnestly. 

"  The  Lord  deliver  me,  then  ;  this  half  is  more 
than  I  can  stand." 

Lottie  scarcely  spoke  during  the  drive  home,  and 
Hemstead  noted,  with  pain,  that  her  face  had  a  hard, 
defiant  look.  It  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  not 
seen  any  who  appeared  as  if  they  had  enjoyed  the 
service. 

There  were  long  pauses  at  the  dinner-table,  and 
after  one  of  the  longest,  Mr.  Dimmerly  abruptly 
remarked,  in  his  sententious  manner  : 

"  Well,  nephew,  I  suppose  you  gave  us  a  powerful 
sermon  this  morning.  It  has  made  us  all  deucedly 
uncomfortable,  anyhow.  But  I've  no  doubt  the  old 
rule  holds  good,  the  worse  the  medicine  is  to  take 
the  more  certain  to  cure." 

Lottie's  response  to  this  remark  was  a  ringing 
laugh,  in  which  the  others,  in  the  inevitable  reaction 

12 


266  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

from  the  morbid  gloom,  joined  with  a  heartiness  that 
was  most  annoying  to  the  young  clergyman. 

"  You  must  excuse  me,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  she, 
after  a  moment,  "  I  have  had  the  blues  all  day,  and 
have  reached  that  point  where  I  must  either  laugh 
or  cry,  and  prefer  the  former  at  the  dinner-table." 

Hemstead  stiffly  bowed  as  his  only  response.  He 
was  too  chagrined,  puzzled,  and  disappointed,  to  ven 
ture  upon  a  reply,  and  after  this  one  lurid  gleam  of 
unnatural  mirth,  the  murky  gloom  of  the  day  seemed 
to  settle  down  more  heavily  than  before. 

After  dinner  De  Forrest  tried  to  secure  Lottie's 
society  for  the  afternoon.  The  refusal  was  kind,  not 
careless  as  was  often  the  case  formerly.  Indeed  her 
whole  manner  toward  him  might  be  characterized  as 
a  grave,  remorseful  kindness,  such  as  we  might  show 
toward  a  child  or  an  inferior  that  we  had  wronged 
somewhat. 

De  Forrest,  finding  that  Lottie  would  persist  in 
going  to  her  room,  went  to  his  also,  and  took  a  long, 
comfortable  nap. 

Bel  wanted  to  talk  about  the  sermon,  but  as  Lot 
tie  would  not  talk  about  anything,  she  too,  soon  for 
got  her  spiritual  anxieties  in  sleep. 

But  Lottie  sat  and  stared  at  her  fire,  and  Hem- 
stead,  deserted  by  all,  stared  at  the  fire  in  the  parlor; 
and  both  were  sorely  troubled  and  perplexed. 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.     267 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  -THE  PAGAN. 

WE  have  said  that  Lottie  Marsden  was  a  pagan. 
That  is  not  necessarily  a  reproach.  Socrates 
was  a  pagan.  But  Lottie,  in  the  main,  was  a 
very  ordinary  pagan,  not  better  than  the  average. 
Her  only  superiority  over  other  idolaters,  and  many 
nominal  Christians,  it  might  be  added,  was  her  practi 
cal  common  sense.  The  more  she  thought,  the  more 
unsatisfactory  Hemstead's  sermon  grew,  and  the 
more  sure  she  became  that  there  was  a  wrong  some 
where  :  in  him,  or  her,  or  in  religion  itself. 

Her  whole  nature  revolted  at  the  idea  of  God 
'given  that  morning. 

In  her  vivid  fancy,  she  saw  an  unrelenting,  unim- 
passioned,  and  yet  all-powerful  Being,  from  whom 
there  was  no  escape,  calmly  subjecting  one  human  life 
after  another  to  the  severest  crucial  tests.  If  one 
could  endure  it,  all  might  be  well.  If,  in  the  compo 
sition  of  one's  character,  there  existed  good  metal,  it 
would  come  out  of  the  furnace  fine  gold  perhaps  ;  but 
if,  as  she  feared  might  be  true  of  herself,  there  was 
only  dross,  then  the  fiery  trials  awaiting  would  be 
as  useless  as  cruel. 

"  Why  couldn't  an  all-powerful  God  find  a  pleas- 


268  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

anter  and  surer  way  of  making  us  good  ?  "  she  asked 
in  bitterness.  "  I  know  there  is  something  wrong  in 
what  Mr.  Hemstead  preached  this  morning.  He  is 
different  from  his  own  doctrines,  and  to  my  mind 
a  great  deal  better.  He  was  severe  upon  me,  but 
not  calmly  and  stonily  severe.  He  looked  as  if  he 
felt  for  me  deeply,  and  would  even,  at  cost  to  him 
self,  give  me  aid  if  I  tried  to  do  right.  If  he  had 
shown  me  my  faults  in  the  calm  cold  distance  of 
immeasurable  superiority  which  he  ascribed  to  God, 
I  would  not  have,  listened  to  a  word.  But  his  voice 
was  gentleness  itself,  and  it  evidently  pained  him  to 
give  me  pain  ;  but  when  he  came  to  show  our  rela 
tions  to  God,  I  seemed  to  come  in  the  presence  of 
stony-hearted,  stony-faced  fate.  If  this  is  the  real 
God  that  ministers  preach  about,  little  wonder  that 
they  have  such  a  hard  time  of  it  in  persuading  us  to 
love  Him.  Little  wonder  that  people  forget  Him  as 
long  as  they  can.  But  Mr.  Hemstead  seems  to  want 
us  to  think  of  these  awful  things  nearly  all  the  time  ; 
and,  what's  worse,  to  begin  torturing  and  mortifying 
ourselves,  even  before  God  is  ready  to  commence. 
No,  I  thank  you.  No  such  religion  for  me.  If  I  must 
go  into  the  fiery  furnace,  I  won't  go  till  I  must." 

She  sprang  up,  and  restlessly  ,~ed  the  room. 
''He's  a  very  cheerful  apostle  of  SL.  \  a  gloomy 
gospel,"  she  thought.  <k  Gospel !  I  thought  gospel 
meant  good  news.  I  never  heard  worse  than  he  told 
us  this  morning.  If  what  he  preached  is  true  reli 
gion,  he's  a  very  inconsistent  professor  of  it,  and  I 
would  like  to  tell  him  so. 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.     269 

"What's  more,  I  will  if  I  can  find  him;"  and 
acting  upon  the  impulse  she  left  the  room. 

The  "  miserable  sinners,"  as  the  prayer-book  has 
it,  and  whom  Hemstead  had  in  fact  made  quite  mis 
erable  for  a  time,  grew  more  comfortable  after  dinner  ; 
and  by  three  P.  M.,  so  far  from  employing  hair-cloth 
and  scourgings,  or  even  the  mildest  form  of  a  crusade 
against  the  weaknesses  of  the  flesh,  were  all  dozing 
and  digesting  in  the  most  luxurious  manner.  Lot 
tie  was  the  only  "  sinner  "  who  remained  "  misera 
ble  "  ;  but  she  was  not  more  "  out  of  sorts  "  than  the 
one  who,  ex  officio,  as  the  world  is  prone  to  believe, 
ought  to  have  been  calm  and  serene  upon  his  theo 
logical  height  above  the  clouds. 

As  she  entered  the  parlor  with  her  velvet-like 
tread,  she  paused  a  moment  to  observe  the  Boaner 
ges — the  thunderer  of  the  morning.  As  he  sat  alone 
before  the  fire,  with  his  elbows  upon  his  knees  and 
his  face  buried  in  his  hands,  he  looked  more  like  a 
weak  mortal  than  a  "  son  of  thunder."  He  did  not 
look  a  bit  like  one,  who  with  face  as  firm  and  inflexi 
ble  as  God's  purpose,  was  anxious  to  step  into  the 
fiery  furnace  before  it  was  ready. 

She  drew  a  few  steps  nearer,  and  stood  over  him 
with  a  curiou  "Expression  on  her  face,  which  could 
so  well  mas*:  or  reveal  her  thought  as  she  chose. 
She  had  come  down  stairs  in  a  state  of  irritable  and 
defiant  protest  against  his  doctrines,  and  with  no' 
little  vexation  at  him  for  being  their  mouth-piece. 
If  she  had  found  him  calmly  pacing  the  floor,  ponder 
ing  on  human  frailty  and  folly,  or  if  he  had  been  read- 


2/0  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ing  judicially  a  semi-sceptical  work,  that  he  might 
demolish  the  irreverent  author,  she  would  have  made 
an  onslaught  whose  vigor,  if  not  logic,  would  have 
greatly  disturbed  his  equanimity  and  theological 
poise.  But  when  she  saw  his  attitude  of  deep  dejec 
tion,  and  when  twice  he  sighed  long  and  heavily,  her 
woman's  nature  was  disarmed,  and  she  began  to  think 
that  his  doctrines  were  as  hard  upon  him  as  the  rest. 
Instinctively  she  took  his  part  against  God,  whose 
formative  hand  appeared  too  heavy  for  them  both. 

Therefore,  instead  of  the  hard,  bitter  words  that 
she  intended  to  speak,  she  said,  with  a  little  quaver 
in  her  voice  : 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  I  almost  believe  that  you  feel  as 
badly  as  I  do." 

When  he  looked  up  she  was  sure  he  felt  worse. 
But  he  seemed  to  try  to  forget  his  own  trouble  as  he 
said  kindly : 

"  I'm  sorry  you  feel  badly." 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie,  sitting  down  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  hearth,  while  the  fire,  on  which  Hemstead 
had  thrown  some  damp  green  wood,  smoked  dismally 
between  them,  "  I  do  think  you  are  a  little  sorry." 

"  Can  I  help  you  in  any  way  ?  I  wish  you  knew 
how  gladly  I  would  do  so." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  that,  too.  You  don't  look  a  bit 
as  if  you  would  like  to  throw  me  into  a  fiery  furnace, 
and  see  if  I  would  come  out  a  lump  of  gold  or  a  good- 
for-nothing  cinder." 

His  only  reply  was  a  look  of  perplexed  inquiry, 
but  his  gray  eyes  were  so  kind  and  yet  withal  so 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.     2/1 

full  of  dejection  that  she  again  thought,  "  He  is 
dreadfully  inconsistent  with  his  doctrines  "  ;  and  she 
said,  with  a  trace  of  archness  in  her  tone  : 

"  I  think  you  look  as  if  you  needed  a  little  help 
and  comfort  yourself." 

He  turned  away  his  face,  but  after  a  moment 
said, 

"  You  never  spoke  truer  words,  Miss  Marsden." 

Then  Lottie,  who  before  had  felt  in  such  need  of 
cheer  herself,  forgot  this  need  in  her  wish  to  help 
the  great  desponding  man  before  her,  whose  mingled 
weakness  and  strength  was  a  growing  surprise.  In  a 
tone  that  would  have  softened  flint  she  said  : 

"  I  wish  I  were  good  enough  to  help  you." 

Then  he  perplexed  her  by  saying,  with  sudden 
energy,  "  And  I  wish  you  were  bad  enough." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?" 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said  hastily.  "  My  words  were 
figurative,  and  exaggerated  by  deep  feeling.  I  meant 
that  I  wished  you,  or  some  one,  could  be  human  and 
charitable  enough  to  understand  me,  and  help  me  to 
triumph  over  my  weakness  without  condemning  too 
severely. 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie,  with  a  little  sigh  of  satisfac 
tion,  "  I  think  I'm  bad  enough.  I'm  very  human,  any 
way,  and  I  think  I'm  in  a  mood  to  be  charitable  to 
day;  for,  if  my  conscience  tells  me  the  truth,  I'm 
awfully  in  need  of  charity  myself." 

He  looked  up  quickly  and  hopefully  as  he  said : 
"  Then  my  sermon  did  you  some  good  after  all." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.     I  can  have  plenty  of  charity 


2/2  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

for  you,  but  not  a  particle  for  your  sermon — no  more 
than  I  would  for  a  thumb-screw  of  the  Inquisition." 

This  unmeasured  condemnation  of  the  pet  child  of 
his  brain — a  part  of  himself  as  it  were — of  which  he 
had  been  so  proud,  cut  to  the  quick,  and  he  flushed 
deeply  and  almost  resentfully  at  first.  But  he  made 
no  reply,  and  sat  lowering  at  the  smoky  hearth 
while  he  sank  into  a  lower  depth  of  despondency. 
Preaching  was  his  chosen  life-work,  and  yet  this  was 
the  verdict  against  his  first  great  sermon. 

Lottie  looked  hopelessly  at  him,  not  knowing 
what  to  say  or  do  next,  and  regretting  that  she  had 
spoken  so  hastily  and  harshly. 

At  last  he  sighed.  "  I  don't  understand  it.  I 
had  spent  months  over  that  sermon.  I  fear  I  have 
mistaken  my  calling." 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie  rather  brusquely,  "  I  wouldn't 
feel  so  forlorn  and  miserable  over  that.  I  don't  think 
it's  much  of  a  calling  any  way." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Marsden  ! "  he  ejaculat^  in  a  shocked 
tone. 

"  I'm  sincere  in  what  I  say,"  she  continued  ear 
nestly.  "  Please  don't  misunderstand  me.  As  far  as 
I  am  a  judge  I  think  your  sermon  was  well  written, 
and  it  certainly  was  delivered  effectively  ;  for  though 
none  of  us  liked  it,  we  couldn't  help  listening.  But 
its  strongest  effect  was  to  make  me  wish  I  was  an 
infidel  and,  like  Mr.  Harcourt,  did  not  believe  in 
anything.  I  honestly  think  that  it  will  be  a  very 
poor  calling  to  go  out  among  the  poor  people  on  the 
frontier  and  preach  such  a  gospel  as  you  gave  us  this 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN-.     2?$ 

morning.  In  the  name  of  pity,  haven't  they  enough 
to  contend  with  now?  In  addition  to  the  scalping 
Indians,  the  border  ruffians,  the  grasshoppers,  and 
grinding  poverty,  are  you  going  to  give  them  a  reli 
gion  in  which  the  furnace  of  affliction  and  the  cruci 
ble  of  trial  flames  as  the  centre  ?  Poor  creatures ! 
I  suppose  they  are  in  hard  and  hot  places  most  of 
the  time,  but  don't  make  them  think  that  God  puts 
them  there,  and  that  there  is  no  chance  to  get  out 
till  He  is  through  with  them.  I  can  tell  you  before 
hand,  that  people  are  not  going  to  get  into  the  fiery 
furnace  and  commence  having  a  miserable  time  of  it 
before  they  must.  Let  us  be  as  comfortable  as  we 
can,  while  we  can.  If  you  feel  that  you  have  mis 
taken  your  calling — and  I  hope  you  have — I'm  sure 
that  father,  at  my  request,  will  find  you  a  better  one 
in  New  York." 

Poor  Hemstead  was  as  satisfied  as  Luther  had 
been  that  this  was  a  temptation  of  the  devil ;  but 
before  him  v*  is  no  such  apparition  as  that  against 
which  the  great  reformer  could  hurl  his  ink-horn 
without  leaving  a  spot. 

With  the  lurid  flash  of  Lucifer  as  he  fell  from 
heaven,  the  thought  passed  through  his  disquieted 
mind,  "  And  in  New  York  I  might  win  the  hand  and 
heart  of  this  beautiful  girl.''  But  every  quality  of  his 
soul  frowned  so  darkly  on  this  thought,  which  held 
out  Lottie  Marsden  as  a  bribe,  that  it  soon  skulked 
away.  His  mind  reverted  to  the  main  difficulty, 
.and  he  said  : 

13* 


2/4  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  Surely,  Miss  Marsden,  I  did  not  preach  such  a 
religion  as  you  suggest." 

"  You  surely  did,  Mr.  Hemstead,  as  I  could  soon 
prove  to  you.  I  am  glad  you  are  so  inconsistent  a 
professor  of  your  religion." 

"Am  I  an  inconsistent  professor?"  he  asked 
sadly. 

"  Indeed  you  are,"  she  replied  ;  and  both  mischief 
and  kindness  lurked  in  her  eyes.  "  You  don't  live 
up  to  your  doctrines  at  all." 

"  Little  wonder,  then,"  he  exclaimed,  in  bitter 
self-condemnation,  "  that  all  turn  from  my  teaching." 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  curious  smile,  as  she 
thought,  "What  a  child  he  is !  He  is  but  wax  in 
my  hands.  If  he  should  marry  a  cold-hearted,  sel 
fish  woman,  with  a  spice  of  petty,  teasing  malice  in 
her  nature,  she  could  sit  down  quietly  at  his  hearth 
and  torture  to  death  this  overgrown  man,  with 
whole  libraries  in  his  brain.  I  could  wring  his  soul 
now,  by  making  him  think  that  he  had  lived  so  un 
worthily  that  we  could  not  listen  to  his  most 
unworthy  sermon." 

She  led  him  out  of  his  strong  self-condemnation 
into  equal  perplexity,  by  saying,  "  Unlike  most  of 
the  world,  you  are  so  much  better  than  your  creed  as 
to  be  utterly  inconsistent." 

He  came  and  sat  down  near  her,  with  such  an 
appealing,  helpless  look,  that  she  laughed  outright. 

"  Please  don't  laugh  at  me,"  he  said,  with  the 
glimmer  of  a  smile,  "  because  this  to  me  is  a  more 
serious  matter  than  you  or  any  one  can  understand."- 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.     2/5 

"  I  don't  laugh  unfeelingly,  I  assure  you,"  she 
said  earnestly.  I  never  was  mor.e  sincere  in  my  life 
than  I  was  this  afternoon,  but  I  am  one  of  those 
ridiculous  mortals  who  cannot  take  things  coolly,  and 
as  I  said  at  dinner,  there  are  times  when  I  must 
either  laugh  or  cry.  I  never  passed  a  more  misera 
ble  day  in  my  life  than  yesterday.  You,  terrible 
magician,  whom  I  have  scarcely  known  for  a  week, 
have  awakened  in  my  heart  a  giant ;  and  yesterday 
and  to-day  he  has  been  shaking  my  soul  with  his 
mutterings  and  threatenings.  I  could  always  man 
age  my  conscience  before,  and  snub  it  into  quietness 
when  it  became  unruly.  But  as  I  said,  from  a  whin 
ing  child  it  has  suddenly  grown  into  a  threatening 
giant,  more  harsh  even  than  you  the  other  even 
ing.  I  went  to  church  this  morning,  hoping  to 
find  some  comfort,  some  remedy,  but  bad  as  is  the 
disease,  the  remedy  seems  far  worse.  I  came  down 
stairs  this  afternoon  in  no  amiable  mood  with  you  or 
your  theology,  but  was  disarmed  by  seeing  you  in  as 
bad  a  plight  as  myself.  I  fear  your  medicine  will 
kill  both  doctor  and  patient.  During  the  past 
week  you  have  been  a  strong,  genial  man,  with  a 
human,  genuine  enjoyment  of  our  every  day  life.  If 
you  were  a  little  blue  and  puritanical,  it  was  in  a 
common-sense  way  that  I  could  understand,  and  your 
criticism  of  myself  I  think  in  the  main  was  just. 
Any  way,  you  made  me  wish  I  was  a  better  girl, 
and  I  was  thinking  how  to  commence  ;  then  came 
this  awful  Sunday,  and  your  awful  sermon,  which 


2/6  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

made  me  both  fear  and  hate  God,  and  want  to  keep 
away  from  Him  as  far  and  as  long  as  I  can." 

"  Your  words  perplex  and  sadden  me  beyond 
measure,"  said  Hemstead.  "  You  belong  to  the 
very  class  that  I  had  hoped  to  benefit, — those  who 
admit  that  they  are  without  faith,  but  who  are  not 
so  averse  to  the  truth  but  that  they  may  be  won  by 
it.  And  yet  you  say  that  the  whole  force  of  my  ser 
mon  is  to  make  you  wish  that  you  could  be  an  infidel. 
I  cannot  understand  it.  If  I  have  mistaken  my  call- 
jng  I  could  not  make  you  nor  any  one  comprehend 
the  depth  of  my  sorrow,  or  the  bitterness  of  my  dis 
appointment.  In  the  calling  of  the  ministry  it  has 
ever  seemed  to  me  that  I  could  work  a  century  with 
enthusiasm.  But  in  any  other  work  I  should  be  but 
a  drudge,  for  my  heart  would  not  be  in  it.  You 
know  how  young  men  often  feel  about  these  things. 
One  has  a  natural  bent  for  the  law,  another  for  med 
icine,  and  another  for  business  or  science.  I  had 
fondly  hoped  th.at  I  was  a  predestined  minister,  and 
this  hope  has  strengthened  with  years  and  become 
inwrought  with  every  fibre  of  my  soul.  I  was  will 
ing  to  commence  in  a  very  humble  way,  and  any 
where  that  God  would  set  me  to  work  ;  but  if  the 
effect  of  my  preaching  is  to  drive  people  away  from 
Him,  the  sooner  I  give  it  all  up  the  better." 

"  How  different  our  tastes  and  plans  for  life  are  !  " 
said  Lottie  musingly.  "  It  appears  strange  that  you 
should  have  set  your  heart  so  strongly  on  what 
is  so  dismal  to  me.  And  yet  such  is  the  evident 
depth  of  your  regret  that  I  do  feel  for  you  very  much." 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    277 

Hemstead  rose  and  took  a  few  abrupt  turns  up 
and  down  the  room.  Lottie  watched  him  with  in 
creasing  interest.  He  had  shown  her  his  weakness, 
and  she  perceived  that  he  would  also  show  his 
strength.  After  a  moment  he  leaned  on  the  mantel 
before  her,  and  said  in  quiet,  decisive  tones: 

"  Miss  Marsden,  I  have  given  you  the  right  to 
speak  to  me  very  plainly.  I  honestly  wish  light  on 
this  subject,  and  intend  to  settle  this  question  at  the 
earliest  moment  possible.  God  knows  I  do  not  wish 
to  thrust  myself  unbidden  into  the  sacred  office. 
If  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  calling,  then  the  sooner  I 
find  it  out  the  better,  and  so  try  to  content  myself 
with  some  humbler  work.  Not  only  from  what  you 
have  said,  but  from  the  remarks  and  aspect  of 
others,  I  am  satisfied  that  my  effort  this  morning 
was  worse  than  a  failure.  You  have  a  mind  of 
unusual  vigor,  and  a  good  faculty  in  expressing  your 
thought.  Won't  you  give  me  a  keen,  truthful  analysis 
of  the  whole  service  ?  It  is  to  the  world  I  am  to 
preach  ;  and  I  wish  to  know  just  how  what  I  say 
strikes  the  world.  I  know  that  Christian  doctrines 
have  ever  been  unpalatable,  but  if  there  is  something 
in  my  presentation  of  them  that  is  going  to  make 
them  tenfold  more  so,  then  I  will  be  dumb.  I  would 
rather  hide  in  a  desert  than  drive  one  soul  from  God, 
as  you  intimated.  You  were  brave  enough  to  let 
me  speak  to  you,  almost  harshly  I  fear;  now  see  if  I 
have  not  equal  courage.  Say  the  very  worst  things 
that  you  believe  true,  and  you  may  help  me  very 


278  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

much  toward  coming  to  the  most  important  decision 
of  my  life." 

"  Oh  dear,"  said  Lottie.  "  I'm  not  fit  to  counsel 
a  downy  chicken.  I  wish  you  didn't  take  this  mat 
ter  so  to  heart.  You  look  as  if  I  might  be  your 
executioner." 

"  You  can  be  my  faithful  surgeon  and  do  some 
wholesome  cutting." 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie  dismally.  "  I'd  rather  give 
you  ether  or  laughing-gas  first." 

"  That  is  more  kind  than  wise,"  he  replied,  smil 
ing;  "  in  moral  and  mental  surgery  the  patient  should 
have  all  his  faculties." 

"There!"  she  exclaimed  with  animation,  "we 
are  illustrating  by  contrast  my  chief  complaint  against 
your  preaching,  When  you  told  me  my  faults  you 
did  so  gently,  and  appeared  pained  in  giving  me 
pain  ;  and  now  I  am  honestly  sorry  to  say  words  that 
I  know  will  hurt  you.  And  I  know  my  words  will 
hurt  and  discourage  you,  for  if  the  trouble  were  in 
you  it  might  be  remedied,  but  it  is  in  what  you  teach, 
and  of  course  you  teach  what  you  believe,  and  won't 
say  smooth  things  as  I  fear  other  ministers  do  some 
times.  You  represented  God  calm  and  unchangeable 
as  fate,  as  unrelenting  and  unimpassioned.  In  this 
spirit  you  portrayed  Him  taking  up  one  life  after 
another  and  putting  it  into  the  furnace  of  affliction, 
to  see  what  he  can  make  of  it.  You  illustrated  his 
manner  of  doing  this  by  the  sculptor  with  his  cold 
unfeeling  marble,  by  the  refiner  with  crude  ore,  and 
by  the  surgeon,  and  you  forgot  to  say  that  the  last 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    2/9 

stupefies  his  patients  before  cutting.  You  gave  me 
the  impression  that  as  soon  as  God  set  about  making 
us  better  we  would  find  ourselves  in  trouble,  and  that 
like  certain  school  masters  of  the  old  regime,  He 
had  faith  in  nothing  save  the  rod.  You  know  the 
natural  feeling  of  children  toward  such  pedagogues. 
How  can  we  help  feeling  in  the  same  way  toward  God  ? 
Then  you  presented  God  as  full  of  inflexible  purposes, 
but  the  oftoner  you  told  us  that  we  could  not  help 
ourselves,  and  that  there  was  no  use  of  resisting,  the 
more  1  felt  like  resisting.  The  idea  of  cutting  and 
carving  character  out  of  quivering  human  hearts  as 
if  they  were  marble  !  The  idea  of  putting  one,  like 
a  lump  of  ore,  into  a  crucible,  and  then  coolly  sitting 
by  to  see  what  becomes  of  it.  I'm  not  a  lump  of 
ore,  and  if  I  need  harsh  treatment  I  want  it  done 
sympathetically,  feelingly,  or  I  will  become  a  Tartar 
instead  of  a  saint.  The  tears  in  your  eyes  the  other 
night,  Mr.  Hemstead,  did  me  more  good  than  all  your 
wise  words'." 

Hemstead  looked  as  if  a  light  were  dawning  upon 
him. 

"You  spoke  of  this  life,"  continued  Lottie,  "  as 
if  it  were  nothing,  and  that  God  didn't  care — indeed 
approved  of  our  having  a  hard  time  here,  that  we 
might  be  more  sure  of  a  good  time  hereafter.  You 
spoke  of  God  as  jealously  watching,  lest  we  should 
love  earthly  friends  more  than  Him,  and  that  he  was 
bound  to  be  first,  if  he  had  to  snatch  away  every 
thing  that  we  loved  most.  Therefore,  even  the 
mother  must  keep  chilling  her  natural  love  for  her 


28O  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST; 

child,  or  else  God  will  make  the  innocent  little  thing 
suffer  and  die,  just*  to  give  the  mother  a  lesson. 
You  said  that  we  should  hold  all  earthly  possessions 
in  fear  and  trembling,  and  that  the  harsher  our  expe 
riences  were,  here,  the  better,  if  they  only  wean  us 
from  earth.  If  this  is  true,  we  had  better  have  no  pos 
sessions  and  form  no  ties.  The  monks  and  nuns  are 
right.  Let  us  shut  ourselves  up,  and  wear  hair-cloth 
instead  of  merino,  and  catch  our  death  of  cold  by 
moping  around  bare-foot  at  all  unseasonable  hours. 
All  you  said  may  be  good  religion,  but  it's  mighty 
poor  sense,  and  very  unnatural." 

Hemstead  shaded  his  burning  face  with  his 
hands. 

"  There,  I  knew  I  would  hurt  you — no  doubt  I 
seem  very  irreverent,  but  you  have  no  idea  how  I  am 
restraining  myself  for  your  sake.  I'm  just  that  pro 
voked  and  indignant — well,  well,  what's  the  use  ?  As 
you  said,  we  can't  help  ourselves,  and  into  the  fiery 
furnace  Lo^e  Marsden  will  go  before  long  ;  only 
there  will  be  nothing  left  of  me  but  a  little  cinder. 
Why  couldn't  the  Being  you  call  all-wise  and  all-pow 
erful,  devise  some  nicer  way,  one  more  in  accordance 
with  the  nature  he  has  given  us?  Suppose  heaven 
is  a  grander  place  than  this  world,  that  is  no  good  rea 
son  for  hating  the  world.  This  earth  is  our  present 
home,  and  it  looks  sensible  that  we  should  make  the 
most  of  it,  and  enjoy  ourselves  in  it.  Suppose  my 
father  should  say,  *  Lottie,  I  want  you  to  hate  and 
despise  your  present  home,  because  in  five  years  I'm 
going  to  give  you  a  palace ;  and  if  you  can  only  fall 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    28 1 

down  stairs  once  or  twice,  and  have  a  fit  of  illness  so 
as  to  get  weaned  from  it,  I  shall  be  glad/ 

"  How  strangely  and  monstrously  unnatural  all 
that  -kind  of  talk  is  when  you  come  to  put  it  into 
plain  English,"  proceeded  Lottie  after  a  moment, 
tapping  the  floor  impatiently  with  her  foot.  "  If  you 
must  preach  such  doctrines  as  you  did  this  morning, 
I  am  sorry  for  you  ;  and  if  they  are  true,  I  am  sorry 
for  the  world,  myself  included.  The  trouble  is  not 
in  you.  I  am  sure  you  can  make  almost  an  orator  in 
time,  if  you  can  get  a  theme  that  won't  give  men 
the  shivers,  and  set  their  teeth  on  edge.  I  never 
understood  religion  and  never  liked  it  ;  and  nowthat 
I  do  begin  to  understand  it,  I  like  it  less  than  ever." 

Hemstead  sat  down  in  his  chair — indeed  he  sank 
into  it,  and  the  face  he  turned  toward  her  was  white 
and  full  of  pain. 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said  slowly,  "  I  fear  I  have 
given  you,  and  all  who  heard  me,  a  very  false  impres 
sion  of  God  and  Christianity  ;  and  ye^f!  thought  I 
was  speaking  the  truth." 

"  Oh,  I  knew  you  were  honest.  There  isn't  a 
dishonest  fibre  in  your  nature ;  but  I  wish  you  were 
all  wrong.  Oh,  how  delighted  I  should  be  if  you 
were  a  heretic  without  knowing  it,  and  we  could  find, 
out  a  religion  that  wouldn't  make  one's  blood  run 
cold  to  think  of  it." 

"  But  my  religion  does  me  good,  Miss  Marsden. 
It  cheers,  sustains,  and  strengthens  me." 

"  Now  you  see  how  inconsistent  you  are.  You 
preach  one  thing,  and  feel  and  act  another." 


282  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

11  I  begin  to  see  how  I  was  misled  in  my  sermon, 
and  why  what  I  said  was  so  repugnant  to  you  ;  and 
yet  my  mind  is  confused.  It  still  appears  to  me,  that 
I  developed  the  thought  of  the  text.  Christ  said,  "  I 
am  glad  I  was  not  there  to  the  intent  that  ye  may 
believe."  These  words  would  seem  to  show  that  he 
regarded  our  transient  pains  as  of  very  secondary 
importance  compared  with  the  accomplishment  of  his 
great  purposes.  Why  did  he  not  go  to  Bethany  at 
once,  if  it  were  not  so  ?  " 

"  Well,  it's  an  awful  text,  or  you  give  it  an  awful 
interpretation.  Let  me  take  the  thought  out  of  the 
realm  of  theology  or  religion,  and  bring  it  down  to 
practical  life.  Suppose  you  go  to  New  York  to-mor 
row  and  remain  a  few  days,  and  to-morrow  night  the 
house  burns  up,  and  I  with  it.  Would  your  first 
thought  be;ed  m  glad  I  was  not  there  to  put  out 
the  fire  or  to  festue  that  naughty  girl,  Lottie  Mars- 
den,  because  her  sudden  death,  for  which  she  was  all 
unprepared,  w;ill  be  a  warning  to  many,  and  result  in 
great  good  ?  I  may  be  wrong,  Mr.  Hemstead,  but  I 
think  you  would  get  pretty  well  scorched  before  you 
would  permit  even  such  a  guy  as  I  am  to  become  a 
warning  to  other  naughty  girls." 

"  I  can't  imagine  myself  leaving  you  in  danger," 
said  Hemstead  in  a  low  tone,  and  a  look  that  brought 
the  blood  into  Lottie's  face. 

"  I  thought  you  would  feel  so,"  she  continued 
heartily.  "  You  can  preach  awfully  against  sinners, 
but  when  you  come  to  put  your  doctrines  in  prac 
tice,  you  would  say  as  you  did  to  me, '  I  wish  I  could 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    283 

bear  all  for  you.'  "  Heaven  knows  I'm  selfish  enough, 
but  I  can  at  least  understand  and  appreciate  generous 
and  kindly  sympathy  and  could  be  won  by  it.  But  this 
cool  and  inflexible  elaboration  of  character,  where 
only  the  end  is  considered,  and  all  our  timid  shrink 
ing  and  human  weakness  ignored — this  austere  ascet 
icism  which  despises  the  present  world  and  life,  is  to 
me  unnatural  and  monstrous.  I  confess  I  never  read 
the  Bible  very  much,  and  have  not  listened  when  it 
was  read.  I  have  half  forgotten  the  story  of  Laza 
rus.  You  left  off  where  Lazarus  was  in  his  grave, 
and  Christ  was  glad  he  was  not  there  to  prevent  his 
death.  But  that  was  not  all  the  story.  I  think,  if  I 
remembered  rightly,  Christ  raised  him  to  life.  Come, 
get  a  Bible,  and  let  us  read  the  whole  story,  and  see 
if  we  cannot  find  something  that  w:"  *<^  ^  .KG  the 
word  *  gospel '  a  mockery." 

"  Won't  you  read  it  ?  "  asked  HLiifstead  humbly, 
handing  her  the  Bible. 

"  Yes,  if  you  wish  me  to,  though  it  seems  very 
funny  that  I  should  be  reading  the  Bible  to  you." 

"  I  begin  to  have  a  hope  that  you  will  teach  me 
more  than  I  ever  learned  from  it  before,"  he  replied 
earnestly. 

As  in  sweet,  unaffected,  girlish  tones  she  read  the 
ancient  story  of  human  suffering  and  sorrow,  the 
scenes  passed  in  seeming  reality  before  the  student. 
He  was  intensely  excited,  though  so  quiet.  When 
one  with  a  strong  mind  recognizes  that  he  is  ap 
proaching  a  crisis  in  life,  there  is  an  awe  that  calms 
and  controls.  Lottie,  with  her  intense  vitality,  could 


284  FROM   JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

arouse  even  a  sluggish  nature.  But  to  earnest  Hem- 
stead,  with  his  vivid  fancy  and  large  faith,  this  beauti 
ful  but  erratic  creature  reading  the  neglected  Bible,  to 
find  for  him  a  sweeter  and  sunnier  gospel  than  he  had 
preached,  seemed  a  special  providence  that  presaged 
more  than  he  dared  to  conjecture  ;  and  he  listened  as 
one  who  expected  a  new  revelation. 

Indeed  his  darkness  was  losing  its  opaqueness. 
Rays  of  light  were  quivering  through  it.  Her  plain 
and  bitter  words  of  protest  against  his  sermon  had 
already  shown  him,  in  a  measure,  that  he  had  exag 
gerated,  in  his  first  crude  sermonizing,  one  truth,  and 
left  out  the  balancing  and  correcting  truth.  Famil 
iar  with  all  the  story  of  Lazarus,  his  mind  travelled 
beyond  the  reader,  and  with  mingled  joy  and  self- 
condei.buVion  he  already  began  to  see  how  he  had 
misrepresented  the  God  of  love.  With  intense 
eagerness  he  watched  and  waited  to  see  the  effect  of 
the  complete  story  on  Lottie's  mind. 

When  she  came  to  the  words,  "  Jesus  said  unto  her, 
/am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  :  he  that  believeth 
on  me,  though  he  were  dead  yet  shall  he  live : 

"  And  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall 
never  die  " — she  stopped  and  said  : 

"  This  is  very  remarkable  language.  What  does 
it  mean  ?  " 

"  Read  on  ;  read  to  the  end,"  he  urged. 

She  caught  his  eager  expectancy,  and  read  with 
an  absorbing  interest,  the  truth  that  now  seemed 
stranger  than  any  fiction. 

When  she  reached  the  words—"  He  groaned  in 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    285 

spirit,  and  was  troubled,"  she  raised  her  eyes  in  a 
quick  glance  of  inquiry. 

"  Read  on,"  said  Hemstead,  in  breathless  in 
terest. 

A  moment  later,  the  shortest  verse  in  the  Bible 
was  upon  her  lips.  Then  she  ceased  reading  aloud, 
and  the  student  saw  her  eyes  hastily,  as  if  she  were 
unable  to  endure  the  momentary  delay  of  pronuncia 
tion,  scanning  the  story  to  its  end. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,"  she  asked  excitedly,  "  why  did 
Jesus  weep  and  groan,  when  in  a  few  moments  Laz 
arus  would  be  alive,  and  the  scene  of  mourning 
changed  to  one  of  joy  ?  " 

With  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  replied,  "  There  is  One 
guiding  you — guiding  us  both — who  can  answer  that 
question  better  than  I." 

"  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  God,  do  we 
not  ?  "  she  half-mused,  half-questioned  ;  her  brows 
contracting  with  intense  thought. 

"Yes,"  he  said  reverently. 

"Why,  Mr.  Hemstead,  don't  you  see — don't  you 
see  ?  This  Being  who  is  so  keenly  sympathetic,  so 
tenderly  alive  to  a  scene  of  sorrow  that  he  weeps 
and  groans,  though  knowing  that  joy  is  coming  in  a 
moment,  is  not  the  calm,  passionless,  inflexible  God 
you  chilled  our  hearts  with  this  morning.  Why,  this 
is  the  very  extravagance  of  tender-heartedness. 
This  is  a  gentleness  that  I  can  scarcely  understand. 
What  mother,  even,  would  first  weep  with  her  chil 
dren  over  a  sorrow  that  she  was  about  to  remove  with 
a  word !  And  yet  this  all-powerful  Jesus,  who  can 


286  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

raise  the  dead  to  life,  seems  to  cry  just  because  the 
others  do — just  as  if  he  couldn't  help  it — just  as 
dear  good  Auntie  Jane's  eyes  moisten  when  she 
hears  of  any  one  in  trouble.  Mr.  Hemstead,  there  is 
surely  a  mistake  somewhere.  How  do  you  reconcile 
this  Christ  with  the  one  you  presented  this  morning." 

"  I  don't,  and  cannot." 

"  And  yet  he  did  say  to  his  disciples,  '  I  am  glad 
I  was  not  there,'  ''  continued  Lottie  in  deep  per 
plexity. 

Hemstead  paced  the  room  excitedly  a  few  min 
utes,  and  then  exclaimed  : 

"  It's  growing  as  clear  and  beautiful  as  the  light." 

"  It  seems  to  me  flat  contradiction,"  said  Lottie, 
dejectedly.  "  There  are  the  words,  '  I  am  glad  I  was 
not  there ;  '  and  there  is  the  fact  that  he  let  Lazarus 
die  ;  and  there  also  are  the  facts  of  his  weeping  and 
raising  Lazarus  :  and  now  I  think  of  it,  he  performed 
many  miracles  equally  kind,  and  helped  and  encour 
aged  all  sorts  of  people." 

"Certainly  He  did,"  cried  Hemstead.  "Blind 
idiot  that  I  was  in  developing  a  crude  theological 
idea  of  my  own,  instead  of  simply  presenting  the  God 
of  the  Bible.  I  can  never  thank  you  enough,  Miss 
Marsden,  for  your  strong  good  sense  that  has  dissi 
pated  my  fog-bank  of  words.  I  think  I  see  the  way 
into  light.  You  have  placed  a  clew  in  my  hands 
which  I  trust  will  lead  not  only  me,  but  others  into 
peace.  I  fear  I  did- present  to  you  a  calm,  unimpas- 
sioned,  inflexible  Being  this  morning,  a  God  of  pur 
poses  and  decrees,  and  remorseless  will ;  and  I  have 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    287 

felt  before  that  this  was  the  god  of  theology  and  re 
ligious  philosophy,  rather  than  the  God  of  the  Bible. 
Your  words  have  shown  me  that  I  gave  you  a  crude 
and  one-sided  view.  Thoughts  are  thronging  so  upon 
my  mind  that  I  am  confused,  but  it  comes  to  me  with 
almost  the  force  of  an  inspiration  that  Christ's  tears 
of  sympathy  form  the  key  to  the  whole  Bible." 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie,  in  a  low  tone,  "  I  can  see 
how  they  might  become  the  key  to  my  heart.  Come, 
Mr.  Hemstead,  I  have  been  a  heathen  up  to  this 
time;  and  I  hope  you  have  been  a  heretic.  If  you 
can  explain  the  Bible  in  accordance  with  Christ's 
tears,  as  he  wept,  when  the  kindest  man  living  would 
have  smiled,  in  view  of  the  change  so  soon  to  occur 
— then  preach  by  all  means.  That  is  the  kind  of  gos 
pel  we  want.  If  I  could  believe  that  God  felt  with, 
and  for,  his  creatures  as  tenderly  as  that,  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  could  go  to  Him  as  naturally  as  I  ever 
went  to  Auntie  Jane  in  my  troubles." 

Hemstead  was  pacing  the  room,  as  was  his  cus 
tom  when  excited.  His  face  was  aglow  with  earnest, 
elevating  thoughts.  His  ungainlinesshad  utterly  van 
ished  ;  and  Lottie  acknowledged  that  she  had  never 
seen  a  nobler  looking  man.  She  felt  that  perhaps 
they  were  both  on  the  threshold  of  a  larger  and 
richer  life  than  they  had  ever  known  before.  She 
saw  dimly,  as  through  a  mist,  that  which  her  heart 
longed  to  believe — the  truth  that  God  does  care 
about  his  earthly  children — that  he  was  not  to  her  a 
mere  shaping  force  or  power,  but  a  tender,  gentle- 


288  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

hearted  helper.  Therefore  she  waited  eagerly  and 
hopefully  for  Hemstead  to  speak. 

But  he  felt  that  the  glad  tumult  in  his  mind  ren 
dered  him  unfit  to  be  her  guide  just  then,  and  there 
fore  said : 

"  Miss  Marsden,  I  want  to  think  calmly  and  care 
fully  over  what  you  have  said.  I  want  to  take  this 
briefest  of  all  texts,  '  Jesus  wept,'  as  a  lamp  in  my 
hand,  and  with  it  explore  the  rest  of  the  Bible. 
Already  it  seems  as  if  it  might  be  like  carrying  a  light 
into  a  treasure  vault ;  and  that  where  before  was 
darkness,  gems  and  riches  now  will  glitter." 

"  And  I,  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  strike 
the  light  for  you,  am  in  the  meantime  to  sit  outside 
of  the  '  treasure  vault,'  and  perhaps  neither  see  nor 
get  any  of  the  *  gems.'  I  don't  agree  at  all  to  your 
gloating  alone  over  what  may  be  discovered." 

"  And  can  you  think  I  would  wish  to  '  gloat 
alone  '  ?  "  said  Hemstead  reddening.  "  It  will  be  my 
chief  joy  to  bring  back  all  I  find  to  you." 

"  I'm  not  that  kind  of  a  girl,"  said  Lottie  with  a 
little,  emphatic  gesture.  "  If  I  wanted  something 
from  the  top  of  a  mountain,  I  would  not  send  a  man 
for  it,  but  would  go  with  him  after  it.  This  helpless 
waiting,  or  languid  looking  on,  while  men  do  every 
thing  for  us,  is  as  absurd  in  one  direction  as  the 
Indian  custom  of  making  the  squaw  do  all  the  hard 
work  in  another.  I  don't  see  why  we  can't  take  this 
genial  little  lamp  of  a  text,  and  do  some  exploring 
together.  I  will  hold  the  lamp,  and  you  do  the 
looking.  Here  is  the  Bible,  and  there  is  your  seat 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    289 

beside  this  dismal,  smoking  fire.  I  fear  you  have 
treated  it  as  you  did  us  this  morning — put  on  green 
wood." 

"  I  think  you  are  right  in  both  cases,"  he  said,  his 
tell-tale  color  again  suddenly  rising. 

"  No  matter,  it  was  good  wood  in  both  cases,  as 
you  will  see  when  it  becomes  ripe  and  dry." 

"  It  will  never  do  for  me  to  become  dry  as  a 
preacher,  Miss  Marsden." 

"  Yes,  it  will  in  my  sense,  for  then  you  will  kindle 
more  easily,  and  therefore  kindle  others.  But  come, 
I  am  holding  the  lamp,  ''Jesus  wept?  Everything  you 
can  find  in  the  Bible  that  will  confirm  the  hope  of 
God's  sympathy — that  he  cares  for  us  as  we  are,  with 
all  our  faults  and  weaknesses,  will  be  most  welcome." 

Lottie  was  so  positive  and  determined,  and  her 
manner  so  irresistible,  that  Hemstead  had  no  other 
thought,  sav£  that  of  compliance.  She  had  that 
piquant  imperiousness,  to  which  men  are  willing 
slaves  when  manifested  graciously,  and  by  a  pretty 
woman.  He  was  like  a  ship  caught  in  a  gale,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  scud  before  it.  At  the 
same  time,  it  seemed  that  she  was  driving  him  swiftly 
toward  the  haven  and  rest  of  a  better  and  broader 
faith. 

Therefore  he  sat  down  by  the  dismal,  smoky 
hearth,  but  turned  expectantly  to  her  face  that,  in 
contrast,  was  all  aflame  with  hope  and  interest. 

"  The  impression  grows  upon  me,"  he  said,  "  that 
you  are  being  guided,  and  therefore  you  shall  guide 
me." 


2QO  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

11  I  want  to  settle  the  question,"  she  replied, 
"  whether  I  can  love  and  trust  God  ;  or  whether, 
as  I  feared  this  morning,  I  must  dread  and  almost 
hate  Him.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  thing 
religion  does  for  Cousin  Bel  is  to  make  her  uncom- 

^> 

fortable.  If  what  you  told  us,  and  what  she  experi 
ences,  is  true  religion,  then  I  shall  ignore  it  and  for 
get  all  about  it  as  long  as  I  can — till  God  commences 
with  me,  and  puts  me  by  way  of  trial  into  the  fiery 
furnace  of  affliction.  I  fear  only  a  cinder  would  be 
the  result.  But  if  the  natural  explanation  of  these 
two  words,  '  Jesus  Wept '  is  true,  then  God  is  kinder, 
gentler,  and  more  sympathetic  than  any  human 
friend.  Prove  to  me  that  the  One  who,  out  of  pure 
tender-heartedness,  cried  just  because  others  around 
him  were  crying,. though  even  about  to  remove  the 
cause  of  their  sorrow,  is  the  God  of  the  Bible,  and  I 
will  thank  you,  with  lasting  and  unmeasured  grati 
tude.  Then  your  teaching  will  be  a  gospel — good 
news  in  very  truth.  You  say  the  Old  and  New  Tes 
taments  both  make  one  Bible,  do  you  not  ?  " 

-Yes." 

"  Well,  it  is  the  Old  Testament  that  I  most  dread. 
It  is  so  full  of  wars  and  bloodshed,  and  strange, 
stern  rites.  And  then  the  old  Prophets  say  such 
awful  things.  Still,  I  admit  that  it's  all  very  vague 
and  dim  in  my  mind.  Can  you  find  anything  in  the 
Old  Testament  that  corresponds  with  the  words 
*  Jesus  Wept  '  ?  " 

The  student  rapidly  turned  the  leaves  of  the  large 
Bible  upon  his  lap,  and  read : 


THE  PREACHER  TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    2QI 

"  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the 
Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  Him. 

"  For  he  knoweth  our  frame :  He  remembereth 
that  we  are  but  dust." 

"  That  fits  like  light  to  the  eye,"  exclaimed  Lot 
tie,  with  exultation.  "  What  becomes  of  your  ser 
mon,  Mr.  Hemstead,  in  view  of  such  texts  ?  Truth 
is  not  contradictory." 

"  You  shall  see  in  a  moment,  Miss  Marsden,  what 
becomes  of  my  sermon,"  and  he  hastily  left  the  room. 

While  Lottie  was  wondering  at  his  action,  he 
returned  and  threw  the  manuscript  on  the  hearth. 
But  while  the  green  wood  had  been  smoking  so 
dismally,  it  had  also  dried  and  kindled  ;  and  Hem- 
stead's  heavy  sermon,  so  far  from  quenching  the  rising 
flame,  seemed  just  the  encouragement  needed  to 
develop  a  cheerful  blaze,  in  the  midst  of  which  it 
perished,  like  a  narrow,  sour,  but  sincere,  well-mean 
ing  old  martyr  of  former  days. 

In  committing  this  unripe  fruit  of  his  brain — his 
heart  had  dictated  but  little  of  it — to  the  flames,  Hem- 
stead  would  have  felt,  a  few  hours  earlier,  as  a  Hindu 
mother  might  when  casting  her  child  to  the  crocodiles 
of  the  Ganges.  Now  he  saw  it  shrivel,  as  its  teachings 
had  within  his  own  mind  a  little  before,  with  exul 
tation. 

"  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children  "  was  a  bet 
ter  gospel  than  "  like  as  a  sculptor  chisels  his  marble," 
or  "  like  as  a  surgeon  cuts  remorselessly  with  pulse 
unquickened,  though  the  patient  writhes." 

Preacher  and  pagan  stood  together  by  the  hearth, 


r   7'0 

d  s.iw  perish  ilu1  llospel  of  Kear      of  gloomy  ascet- 
which    tor   50    many   centuries,    in    dim,   damp 
Cloisters   and    Stony    Cells    has   chilled    tlu:    heart    and 

quenched  t he  spu  it . 

And  yet,  to  day,  in  the  broad  lii'Jil  of  Hihle 
lands,  -ind  in  the  midst  ol  t  lie  wholesome  and  su>;:'(e  s- 
tive  duties  of  tamily  lite,  do  not  many,  under  false 
teachings  like  tlrat  of  llcmstcad's  sermon,  find  spir 
itual  paths  as  dark  and  painful  .is  those  ot  ascetics 
\\lio  made  sell  mort  i  heat  ion  the  business  ol  lite. 
rini-4  spake  truly  \\hen  he  said,  "  Men  K>ve  darkness 
rather  than  liidit."  \\'e  fill  tile  sei\'iee  of  the  Author 
of  la:',ht  with  idoom.  The  hermit  thought  he  eonld 
rve  lloil  in  the  chill  and  dimness  of  a  cave; 
and  the  anehonte's  cave  lias  been  the  type  of  our 
shado\\y,  vault- like  churches,  and  the  experience  ot 
the  \\  01  shippers  c\  er  siiu 'e. 

1  ottie   Mai.sden  \\as   one  \\lio    \\ould  natnralK-  be 

llled  by  a  religion  that  was  merely  a  chill  of 
restraint  and  a  paralysis  of  tear  ;  and  should  she  come, 
to  behe\e  that  tiod  sought  chieilx'  by  harsh  discipline 

COUrge  her  into  ways  of  righteousness,  she  would 
rush  all  the  more  recklessl\-  into  the  paths  of  evil. 
Init  liod  is  too  \\ise  and  >;ood  to  teach  a  reliiMon 
utterly  repugnant  and  contradict or\-  to  the  nature 
lie'  has  ;;i\en  us.  A  child's  hand  may  lead  a  multi 
tude;  but  a  giant's  strength  can  drive  but  few, 

Christ's  teais  had  fallen  on  the  ice  in  Lottie's 
heart,  and  mchc-d  it  a\\av.  It  \\as  now  tender. 
receptive,  ready  tor  the  .seeds  of  truth.  llcmslcad's 
sermon  had  only  hardened  it. 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN.    293 

Like  the  Hebrew  mothers  with  their  little  children, 
she  had  pushed  her  way  through  frowning  doctrines 
and  stately  attributes  that  appeared  to  encompass 
God,  as  did  the  rebuking  disciples  of  old  their  gentle 
Master ;  and  there  seemed  One  before  her  who,  like 
Jesus,  was  ready  to  take  her  in  his  arms  and  lavish 
upon  her  tenderness  without  limit. 

The  glow  of  the  burning  sermon  Igihted  up  the 
face  of  the  Preacher,  and  one,  who  could  no  longer  be 
called  a  Pagan,  for  she  stood  before  the  altar  of  "  the 
unknown  God,"  and  was  strongly  inclined  to  place  her 
heart  upon  it.  She  believed,  though  as  yet  she  did 
not  trust.  She  understood  but  little  of  Bible  truth, 
but  it  was  no  longer  a  repellant  darkness,  but  rather 
a  luminous  haze  against  which  Jesus  stood  distinctly, 
tearful  from  sympathy,  where  the  best  and  kindest 
would  have  smiled,  anticipating  the  joy  soon  to  come. 

As  the  obnoxious  sermon  sank  into  ashes,  Hem- 
stead  turned  and  took  Lottie's  hand  with  a  pressure 
that  made  it  ache  hours  after,  and  said : 

"  Now  you  have  seen  what  has  become  of  my  ser 
mon  and  many  of  my  old  beliefs.  The  furnace  of 
God's  discipline  shall  no  longer,  as  you  have  said, 
flame  the  lurid  centre  of  my  Gospel;  but  Jesus 
Christ,  as  you  have  discovered  Him,  the  embodiment 
of  love  and  sympathy,  shall  be  its  centre." 

With  a  smile  upon  her  lips,  but  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  Lottie  replied : 

"  And  such  a  gospel  would  win  even  the  border 
ruffians.  Yes,"  she  added  hesitatingly,  "  I  half  be- 


294  FXOJf  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

lieve  it  might  win  even  such  a  little  pagan  as  Lottie 
Marsden." 

Just  then  a  broad  ray  of  light  glinted  into  the 
room,  and  illuminated  Lottie's  face  into  such  mar 
vellous  beauty,  that  Hemstead  was  spell-bound. 
He  was  too  intent  on  watching  her  to  be  aware  that 
the  ray  rested  on  him  also  ;  but  she  exclaimed  : 

11  Oh,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  don't  know  how  your 
face  is  lighted  up  by  the  setting  sun.  If  I  believed 
in  omens,  I  should  know  that  your  successful  work 
will  be  out  on  the  frontier — in  the  West,  from  whence 
comes,  after  this  dreary  day,  such  a  beautiful  light, 
and  which  suggests,  I  hope,  the  fame  and  glory  you 
are  to  win  there." 

44  This  light  from  the  West  falls  equally  upon 
you,"  he  said  impulsively. 

There  was  a  sudden  crimson  in  her  face,  deeper 
than  that  caused  by  the  setting  sun. 

She  gave  him  a  quick,  shy  glance  to  gather  his 
meaning,  but  said  : 

••  Omens  are  only  half  truths,  I  have  heard." 

Under  a  vague,  but  strong  impulse  he  had  spoken 
foolishly,  he  thought ;  and  suggested  that,  in  seek 
ing  to  change  her  character,  his  motive  in  part 
might  be  a  presumptuous  hope  of  his  own.  There 
fore  a  deeper  flush  crimsoned  his  face  ;  but  he  said 
quic: 

*•  I  believe  that,  in  our  day,  omens  are  will-of-the- 
wisps  of  the  imagination.  What  need  is  there  of 
such  fitful  lights,  when  the  sun  of  God's  truth  is 
shining  in  this  Bible.  Shall  we  explore  farther  ?  " 


THE  PREACHER   TAUGHT  BY  THE  PAGAN,    295 

Again  they  sat  down  and  sought  to  reconcile  the 
apparently  conflicting  truths  of  God's  mercy  and  jus 
tice — of  his  severity  and  unutterable  tenderness. 
Proofs  of  both  were  found  upon  the  page  of  inspira 
tion  "  as  thick  as  leaves  in  Valombrosa."  It  was 
clearly  evident  that  God  would  make" no  terms  with 
sin,  whatever  he  might  do  for  the  sinner.  But  the 
Divine,  man  as  he  stands  between  justice  and  the 
erring,  appeared  to  solve  the  problem.  And  if  God's 
discipline  was  at  times  severe,  apd  Christ  was  glad 
when  faith-inspiring  sorrow  came,  it  was  also  seen 
that  he  could  weep  with  the  weak  human  children 
who  cried  under  the  rod,  though  Heaven  might 
result  from  the  transient  pain. 


296  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  DAWNING  LIGHT. 

SOME  little  time  before  the  supper  bell  rang,  De 
Forrest  sauntered  in,  and  witnessed  a  scene  that 
both  surprised  and  puzzled  him.  And  yet  a  lover 
would  scarcely  have  found  in  the  quiet  and  pretty 
picture  that  the  parlor  and  its  occupants  made,  any 
ground  for  jealousy.  Hemstead  was  at  the  centre 
table,  under  the  now  lighted  chandelier,  reading 
aloud  from  the  Bible.  Lottie  sat  by  the  hearth,  the 
fire-light  playing  upon  an  unusually  grave  and 
thoughtful  face. 

"  Well,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  look  for  all  the 
world  like  an  old  married  couple  keeping  Sunday 
together." 

Of  course  Hemstead  flushed.  But  why  should 
Lottie's  color  grow  richer  than  the  ruddy  fire-light 
warranted  ?  She  knew  she  was  blushing,  and  the 
fact  puzzled  her,  for  it  was  a  new  experience  to  find 
the  blood  flying  into  her  face,  and  her  heart  in  a  sud 
den  flutter. 

She  was  also  excessively  annoyed  at  De  Forrest's 
intrusion,  for  such  it  seemed,  though  he  had  an 
equal  right  to  the  parlor  with  herself.  We  usually 
judge  unjustly,  in  proportion  as  we  feel  strongly. 


THE  DAWNING  LIGHT. 

But  the  habit  of  her  old,  insincere  life  swayed  her, 
and  she  said  lightly : 

"  If,  instead  of  dozing  away  the  whole  afternoon, 
you  would  follow  Mr.  Hemstead's  example  and  read 
the  Bible,  you  would  be  the  better  for  it." 

"  I  would  have  read  to  you  all  the  afternoon,  if 
you  had  given  me  a  chance,  and  even  from  the  Bible 
if  you  had  asked  for  it,"  De  Forrest  replied,  with  an 
injured  air. 

"  Well,  you  see  Mr.  Hemstead  is  a  predestined 
missionary,  and  he  no  doubt  thought,  and  correctly, 
too,  that  he  would  never  find  a  truer  object  of  mis 
sionary  effort  than  myself;  so  I  have  obtained  a  bet 
ter  knowledge  of  the  Bible  this  afternoon,  than  ever 
before." 

They  were  now  joined  by  others,  and  the  conver 
sation  became  general.  Soon  after  they  went  out  to 
supper. 

The  depression  of  the  sermon  appeared  to  have 
passed  from  the  rest,  as  well  as  from  Lottie  and 
Hemstead,  though  for  different  reasons.  The  latter 
had  gone  out  of  themselves  toward  God,  and  had 
found  Him  the  source  of  light  and  cheer.  The  others 
had  forgotten  Him,  and  still  remained  in  the  dim, 
chill  grottos  of  their  unbelief,  illumining  their  dark 
ness  by  such  artificial  and  earth-lit  tapers  as  the 
occasion  offered.  Mrs.  Marchmont's  apartments  were 
cosy  and  elegant,  the  supper  inviting,  the  ruddy  wood 
fire  and  easy-chairs  suggested  luxurious  comfort ;  and 
why  should  they  not  be  comfortable,  and  quietly 
forget  their  dismal  thoughts  about  God,  and  the 

13* 


298  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

self-denial  of  the  Cross  ?  The  current  of  ordinary  and 
worldly  life,  which  Hemstead's  sincere  but  mistaken 
words  had  rudely  interrupted,  now  began  to  flow  on 
as  quietly  and  smoothly  as  before. 

But  with  Lottie  it  was  very  different,  and  the 
tides  of  her  life  seemed  seeking  new  channels. 

Bel,  and  to  a  certain  extent  the  others,  noted  pecu 
liarities  in  her  manner  and  that  of  Hemstead.  Her 
moodinesss  was  gone,  but  in  its  place  was  not  her 
old  levity.  When  Moses  came  down  from  the  pres 
ence  of  God,  his  face  shone  so  that  he  was  compelled 
to  veil  its  brightness  ;  and  it  has  ever  seemed  true 
that  nearness  to  God  and  his  truth  gives  spiritual 
light  and  attractiveness  to  the  plainest  features. 

Lottie  was  more  than  beautiful  that  evening.  She 
was  radiant.  Like  a  sunrise  in  June,  two  forms  of  pure 
ennobling  love  were  dawning  in  her  heart ;  and  the 
first,  faint,  unrecognized  emotions  illumined  her  face 
strangely  at  times.  Her  manner  was  unusually  gentle, 
and  while  responding  to  the  general  conversation,  she 
had  many  moments  of  abstraction,  and  was  evidently 
carrying  on  a  chain  of  thought  very  different  from 
that  appearing  upon  the  surface  of  their  table-talk. 

But  all  remembered  that  Lottie  abounded  in 
moods,  and  that  she  was  what  the  common-place 
call  "  an  odd  girl." 

But  why  Hemstead,  after  his  gloom  and  chagrin 
at  dinner,  should  now  be  beaming,  was  not  so  clear. 
Bel  thought  — 

"  The  poor  moth  !  Lottie  has  been  dazzling  him 
with  her  dangerous  smiles.  It's  a  shame." 


THE  DAWNING  LIGHT.  ^99 

After  supper  Harcourt  appeared,  and  sacred 
music  was  in  order.  Even  De  Forrest  and  Addie 
joined  in  this  with  considerable  zest.  It  was  the 
proper,  and  about  the  only  thing  that  could  be  done 
on  a  Sabbath  evening.  The  most  irreligious  feel 
better  for  the  occasional  indulgence  of  a  little  reli 
gious  sentimentality.  When  the  esthetic  element  is 
supreme  and  thorny  self-denial  absent,  devotion  is 
quite  attractive  to  average  humanity.  Moreover  the 
dwarfed  spiritual  nature  of  the  most  materialistic 
often  craves  its  natural  sustenance ;  and  Sabbath 
evening  at  times  suggests  to  the  worldly  that  which 
alone  can  satisfy.  The  "  Sun  of  Righteousness " 
sheds  a  pale,  reflected  ray  upon  them  ;  but  this  is 
better  than  utter  darkness,  and  may  lure  forward 
where  the  Divine  smile  will  beam  fully  upon  them. 
Do  not  let  us  undervalue  Sunday  evening  sentiment 
and  sacred  music,  even  though  occurring  where  there 
was  a  dance  yesterday,  and  where  there  will  be  a  revel 
to-morrow.  There  must  always  be  a  first  support*  on 
which  the  grovelling  vine  can  commence  climbing 
heavenward. 

Though  sentiment,  like  pale  moonlight,  causes 
no  ripe  and  wholesome  growth,  it  is  better  than 
darkness,  and  is  proof  that  the  vivifying  light  is  shin 
ing  somewhere. 

In  the  case  of  Hemstead,  however,  the  words  of 
praise  and  prayer  composing  the  hymns  sung  were 
the  intelligent  utterances  of  a  believing  heart  to  the 
natural  object  of  its  faith  and  devotion. 

Lottie  was  not  much  given  to  sentiment,  even  in 


300  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

religion,  and  the  sacred  words,  a  week  before,  would 
have  come  from  her  lips  only,  while  she  thought  of 
other  things;  but  now  she  was  surprised  to  find  how 
her  heart  was  stirred  by  them,  and  how,  from  being 
empty  phrases,  they  were  growing  full  of  beautiful 
meaning. 

That  was  a  memorable  Sabbath  evening  to  her. 
Tt  seemed  as  if  within  her  old,  earth-born,  material 
life,  a  subtle  spiritual  one  had  been  kindled,  which 
illumined  and  glorified  everything. 

She  felt  as  if  endowed  with  a  new  sense,  by 
means  of  which  she  was  becoming  dimly  conscious 
of  a  new  and  different  world.  She  was  more  than 
happy.  She  was  thrilling  with  strange  and  myste 
rious  joy,  and  was  elated  beyond  measure,  as  if 
Christian  principle  and  heaven  were  already  won  ; 
as  many  a  pilgrim  is  happier  before  the  quickly 
coming  fall  into  the  "  slough  of  despond,"  than  ever 
again  until  within  the  gates  of  the  Celestial  City. 

Lottie's  flame-like  spirit  was  not  prone  to  take 
anything  coolly ;  and  now  that  her  soul  was  kindled 
by  fire  from  heaven,  and  in  addition  her  whole  nature 
awakened  by  the  as  yet  unrecognized,  but  strongest 
of  earthly  forces,  the  natural  love  of  her  heart  for 
the  one  to  whom  only  had  been  given  the  power  to 
inspire  it,  little  wonder  that  her  but  half-suppressed 
excitement  was  surprising  both  to  herself  and  others 
—little  wonder  that  she  was  more  radiant  than  ever 
she  had  been  upon  the  gayest  and  most  brilliant 
occasions. 

There  was  nothing  unnatural  in  her  experience. 


THE  DAWNING  LIGHT.  3OI 

She  had  looked  upon  the  face  of  Him  who  is  the 
light  and  life  of  the  world.  Let  her  enjoy  the  brief 
ecstasy.  Never  chill  the  soul,  that  is  thrilling  with 
the  first  strong  pulses  of  spiritual  life,  by  discourag 
ing  doubts.  Remind  them,  if  you  will,  that  now,  as 
with  the  disciples  of  old,  the  moments  on  the  Mount 
of  Transfiguration  are  few,  and  the  days  of  works  and 
self-denial  on  the  lowly  plane  many.  But  do  not  fail 
to  close  your  homily  with  the  assurance  that  the 
work  and  self-denial  are  of  earth,  while  the  illumined 
mount  is  the  type  of  an  eternal  heaven. 

The  evening  was  passing.  While  devotion  burned 
more  brightly,  sentiment  was  flickering  out.  The 
others  were  growing  weary.  Hemstead  had  the  tact 
to  see  this,  and  he  also  wished  to  be  alone  that  he 
might  think  over  the  bewildering  experiences  of  the 
day.  Therefore  he  suggested  that  they  close  with 
Ray  Palmer's  beautiful  hymn,  that  from  the  first  mo 
ment  of  faith,  until  faith's  fruition,  is  the  appropriate 
language  of  those  who  accept  of  God's  remedy  for 
evil. 

"  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary, 

Saviour  Divine. 
Now  hear  me  while  I  pray, 
Take  all  my  guilt  away, 
Oh  let  me  from  this  day 

Be  wholly  Thine." 

He  hoped  that  with  Lottie,  it  might  crown  the 
teachings  of  the  day,  and  fix  her  thoughts  on  the 
true  source  of  help. 


302  FROM  JES%   TO  EARNEST. 

This  hope  found  a  richer  fulfilment  than  he 
he  expected,  for  to  her  awakened  spirit  the  lines 
seemed  inspired  to  express  her  deepest  need.  As 
the  last  words  trembled  from  her  lips  the  rush  of 
feeling  was  too  strong  for  repression,  and  she  impet 
uously  left  the  room. 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  303 


CHAPTER   XXL 

MISUNDERSTOOD. 

T  OTTIE  was  conscious  of  a  strange  lightness  of 
-I — '  heart  when  she  awoke  on  the  morrow.  It 
seemed  as  if  her  life  had  been  unexpectedly  enriched. 
She  could  not  understand  it,  nor  did  she  seek  to, 
being  contented  with  the  fact  that  she  was  happy. 
She  had  always  been  seeking  her  own  enjoyment,  and 
now  she  was  happier  than  ever  before.  She  was  not 
a  philosopher  who  must  analyze  everything.  She 
widely  differed  from  some  prudent  people  who  must 
take  an  emotion  to  pieces,  and  resolve  it  into  its 
original  elements,  and  thus  be  sure  that  it  is  properly 
caused  and  wholesome  before  enjoying  it.  Many 
seem  to  partake  of  life's  pleasures,  as  did  the  members 
of  the  royal  family,  of  their  feasts,  in  the  days  of  the 
ancient  Roman  empire,  when  it  was  feared  that  poi 
son  lurked  in  every  dish. 

We  have  seen,  however,  that  Lottie  was  not  mor 
bidly  conscientious.  She  had  gathered  honey  every 
where,  and  often  in  spite  of  conscience's  protest.  But 
now,  for  a  rarity,  conscience  appeared  with,  and  not 
against  her.  She  was  satisfied  with  the  fact  that 
she  felt  better  than  ever  before ;  and  the  majority 
of  even  quite  experienced  Christians  ask,  as  their 


304  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ground  of  confidence,  not  "  What  is  truth?"  "  What 
has  God  promised  ?  " — but,  "  How  do  I  feel  to-day  ?  " 
Little  wonder  then,  if  inexperienced  Lottie,  with 
everything  to  learn,  was  content  with  being  happy. 

She  had  always  looked  upon  religion  as  a  painful 
necessity,  at  some  remote  and  desperate  emergency 
of  the  future  ;  but  after  the  hours  spent  with  Hem- 
stead,  it  seemed  a  source  of  joy  beyond  all  the  pleas 
ures  of  her  highly  favored  life.  She  was  like  one  who 
had  been  living  in  the  glare  of  artificial  light,  bril 
liant  enough  it  is  true,  but  who  had  suddenly  come 
out  into  the  natural  sunshine,  and  found  it  warmer, 
sweeter — in  brief,  just  what  she  craved  and  needed. 

The  distrust  of  these  exalted  and  emotional  states 
is  general,  and  often  well-founded,  especially  when 
experienced  by  such  mercurial  temperaments  as  that 
of  Lottie  Marsden.  And  when  it  is  remembered 
that  her  knowledge  and  ideas  of  true  religion  were 
of  the  vaguest  kind,  the  conservative  will  think, 
"  Whatever  may  take  place  in  a  book,  the  morning 
dew  would  be  the  type  of  all  this  feeling  in  real 
life. 

And  this  would  be  true — alas,  it  is  true  of  multi 
tudes — had  she  been  stirred  by  merely  human  causes, 
as  sympathetic  excitement,  or  appeals  to  her  feel 
ings  or  fears.  But,  as  we  have  said  before,  she  had 
looked  upon  the  face  of  the  Son  of  God.  Circum 
stances,  and  the  story  of  Lazarus,  had  concentrated 
her  mind  on  Jesus  Christ,  as  in  that  old  and  touching 
record  he  stands  before  the  world  in  one  of  his  most 
winning  attitudes.  She  did  not  understand  how  she 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  305 

connected  the  hope  and  happiness  she  felt,  with  Him. 
She  was  no  doubt  like  many  who,  eighteen  centuries 
ago,  knew  little  of  Christ,  but  in  the  midst  of  their 
pain  and  anguish  suddenly  felt  His  healing  touch, 
and  exulted  with  great  joy,  forgetting  that  only  one 
disease  had  been  cured,  or  one  trouble  banished,  and 
that  they  still  remained  in  a  world  where  pain  and 
trouble  threatened  to  the  very  end.  But  here  was  the 
ground  of  hope  for  those  whom  Jesus  touched,  as 
well  as  for  Lottie.  In  curing  one  evil,  He  had  proved 
His  power  and  willingness  to  remove  every  evil,  and 
when  pain  of  body,  and  the  suffering  of  guilt  again 
oppressed,  the  true  source  of  help  was  known,  and 
so  Christ  eventually  became  their  Good  Physician, 
intrusted  with  the  entire  care  of  their  spiritual 
health. 

No  doubt  at  the  time  of  Christ,  many  a  heart  was 
stirred  and  borne  heavenward  on  the  wings  of  strong 
emotion,  by  the  eloquence  of  some  gifted  rabbi,  by 
a  gorgeous  ceremonial  in  the  Temple,  or  the  chant- 
ings  of  the  multitudinous  priests.  But  the  emotions 
passed  away,  as  they  do  now ;  and  men  and  women 
relapsed  into  their  old,  material,  selfish  lives.  They 
may  have  looked  back  upon  the  ecstasy  that  once 
thrilled  them,  with  regret,  and  wished  that  it  could 
always  have  been  maintained  ;  but  they  found  this 
impossible.  So  now,  the  emotion  goes  and  the  com 
binations  that  once  produced  it  never  return,  or  fail 
to  inspire  it  again.  Looking  to  themselves  and  their 
own  feelings  — to  inadequate  means  of  help,  they  are 
of  course  disappointed  ;  and  so  gradually  grow  hard 


306  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

and  legal,  or  apathetic  and  unbelieving.  When  in 
trouble — when  the  natural  springs  of  life  begin  to 
fail,  there  seems  no  real  and  practical  help. 

If  human  experience  proves  anything  it  is  that 
every  life  needs  the  personal  and  practical  help — the 
direct  touch  and  word  of  one  who  is  Divinely  power 
ful  and  Divinely  patient. 

Many  days  of  folly — of  sin,  sorrow,  and  deep 
despondency  are  before  Lottie  still ;  but  she  has  seen 
her  God  weeping  from  sympathy  with  weak  human 
ity,  and  a  moment  later  rescuing  from  the  hopeless 
extremity  of  death  and  corruption.  Here  is  not 
some  vague  thing  like  a  half-forgotten  emotion  or 
an  exalted  religious  experience  in  which  to  trust, 
but  One  who,  instead  of  being  a  vanished,  half- 
forgotten  sensation,  a  philosophy,  or  even  a  sound 
creed  and  a  logical  doctrine,  is  a  living  personal  and 
powerful  Friend,  who  can  put  forth  His  hand  and  sus 
tain,  as  He  did  the  timid  Apostle  who  was  sink 
ing  in  the  threatening  waves. 

The  temple  of  Lottie's  faith  was  yet  to  be  built; 
but  she  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  commence  with 
the  true  "  corner  stone." 

During  the  morning  hours  she  was  the  object  of 
considerable  and  perplexed  thought  on  the  part  of 
several  of  the  household.  There  was  in  her  face  the 
sweet  spiritual  radiance  of  the  evening  before,  and 
the  same  gentleness  and  considerateness  of  manner 
marked  her  action. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  and  her  daughter  said, "  It  is  one 
of  Lottie's  moods."  Bel  surmised  that  she  was  a 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  3°7 

little  sentimental  over  Hemstead,  and  was  indignant 
that  she  should  indulge  herself,  and  awake  in  the 
student  feelings  that  she  believed,  on  Lottie's  part, 
would  end  with  the  visit. 

As  for  De  Forrest,  he  was  thoroughly  puzzled. 
The  idea  that  Hemstead  could  be  anything  to  her 
was  perfectly  preposterous ;  and  as  for  religion,  that 
was  a  decorous  thing  of  form  and  ceremonial  pertain 
ing  to  Sunday,  and  this  was  Monday.  And  yet,  from 
some  cause,  Lottie  seemed  changed  and  different 
from  her  old  self. 

He  could  not  complain,  however,  for  she  had  never 
been  kinder  to  him  ;  and  if  her  eyes  did  seek  Hem- 
stead's  face  rather  often,  she  could  see  nothing  there 
which  for  a  moment  could  compare  with  his  own 
handsome  features.  He  also  concluded  that  it  was 
a  "  mood  ; "  but  liked  the  new  and  gentle  Lottie 
quite  as  well  as  the  piquant,  and  often  rather  brusque 
girl  of  other  days. 

But  to  Hemstead,  as  with  chatting  and  reading 
they  whiled  away  the  morning  hours  around  the 
parlor  fire,  Lottie  was  the  bright  particular  star  as 
truly  as  the  one  the  Wise  Men  followed  across  the 
deserts.  Her  face,  now  transfigured  in  its  spirit 
ual  light,  captivated  his  beauty-loving  soul ;  while  her 
words  and  manner  suggested  the  hope  that  she,  with 
himself,  had  found  her  way  into  the  Holy  of  Holies, 
where  the  God  of  love  dwells.  If  this  could  ever  be 
true,  he  felt  that  he  could  go  to  his  work  in  the  west 
ern  wilds,  content  and  grateful,  and  that  a  long 
and  toilsome  life  would  be  illumined  by  this  dear 


308  FROM  JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

memory.  He,  too,  like  Lottie,  was  on  the  Mount : 
but  both  would  soon  have  to  come  down  to  the  plain 
where  the  "  multitude"  was,  and  some  of  them 
"lunatic";  and  when  in  the  plain  they  would  be 
very  much  like  the  multitude. 

After  dinner,  in  compliance  with  an  invitation 
from  Dr.  Beams,  they  all  went  over  to  the  church,  to 
aid  in  decorating  it  with  evergreens.  They  found 
Miss  Martell  and  quite  a  number  of  ladies  at  work. 
There  were  also  a  sprinkling  of  gentlemen  and  a  few 
young  men  who  were  on  the  border  line  between 
boys  and  beaux,  and  who  were  frequently  passing 
from  one  character  to  the  other. 

Miss  Martell  greeted  Hemstead  more  cordially 
than  any  of  the  others  in  the  party  from  Mrs.  March- 
mont's ;  and  seemed  slightly  surprised  at  Lottie's 
gentle  and  cordial  salutation. 

De  Forrest  remained  closely  at  the  latter's  side, 
but  Hemstead  noted  with  deep  and  secret  satisfac 
tion  that  there  was  nothing  responsive  to  his  con 
stant  and  lover-like  attention  in  her  grave  kindness. 
Her  brow  often  contracted,  as  if  his  sentiment 
annoyed  her,  and  she  treated  him  more. as  one  who, 
for  some  reason,  must  be  borne  with  patiently. 

"  She  is  probably  engaged,  but  is  ceasing  to  love 
him,"  he  thought.  "  She  never  could  have  respected 
him,  and  now  he  has  forfeited  whatever  affection  she 
may  have  had.  Still  she  feels  that  she  is  chained  to 
him,  and  must  endure  the  life-long  martyrdom  of  an 
illmated  marriage  ;  "  and  his  heart  overflowed  with  a 
great  pity. 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  309 

It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  he  was  a  miracle  of 
disinterestedness  when  Lottie  was  concerned  ;  and 
that  her  troubles  moved  him  more  than  the  woes  of 
all  the  world.  Like  many  another  life-voyager,  with 
hand  upon  the  helm,  he  thought  that  he  was  direct 
ing  his  course,  when  in  fact,  a  strong  and  subtle  cur 
rent  was  sweeping  him  he  knew  not  whither. 

He  and  Lottie  did  not  have  much  to  say  to  each 
other,  but  their  eyes  often  met,  and  at  times,  in  his 
frank  impulsiveness,  he  looked  at  her  so  earnestly  and 
sympathetically  that  she  would  turn  away  to  hide 
her  heightened  color.  She  was  becoming  conscious, 
with  a  secret  wonder,  that  he,  as  no  other  man  ever 
before,  had  the  power  to  cause  her  blood  to  ebb  and 
flow  in  the  most  unaccountable  manner. 

A  short  time  after  their  arrival  he  wandered  over 
to  the  side  of  the.  chapel  where  Miss  Martell  was 
working,*  and  she  seemingly  fascinated  him.  They 
apparently  became  so  absorbed  in  each  other's  words 
as  to  think  of  no  one  else,  and  Lottie  grew  pale  and 
quiet,  feeling,  in  the  meantime,  an  unreasonable  re 
sentment  toward  Miss  Martell.  If  Lottie  has  received 
a  little  grace,  she  is,  and  ever  will  be,  the  natural 
possessor  of  abundance  of  human  nature.  Is  this 
pale  and  silent  girl  the  same  as  when,  a  little  before, 
her  cheeks  were  aflame  and  every  nerve  tingling  with 
the  most  unwonted  sensations,  and  for  no  better  rea 
son  apparently  than  that  Hemstead  had  seen  her 
tugging  at  a  fibrous  spray  of  hemlock,  and  had  sev 
ered  it  with  his  knife.  That  was  all  the  others  had 
seen;  but  there  was  a  great  deal  more,  for  in  the  act 


310  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

their  hands  had  touched,  and  both  had  seemed  in  a 
positive  state  in  the  power  to  give,  and  in  the  nega- 
ative  in  readiness  to  receive,  a  subtle  influence, 
compared  with  which  electricity  is  a  slow  and  mate 
rial  agent.  And  he  had  lifted  his  large  gray,  eyes  to 
hers  full  of— he  did  not  realize  what,  nor  did  she — 
but  the  cause  was  there,  and  the  effect  followed. 

But  now,  with  secret  uneasiness,  Lottie  notes  that 
he  seems  oblivious  of  her  in  his  eager  talk  with  Miss 
Martell. 

Soon  after  joining  the  latter,  Hemstead  had  said, 
in  his  straight-forward  manner,  "  You  intimated  to 
Mr.  Harcourt  yesterday  that  you  were  *  sorry  he  heard 
my  sermon.'  " 

With  a  little  embarrassment  she  replied,  "  I  do 
not  think  that  Mr.  Harcourt  was  in  the  right  condition 
of  mind  to  be  benefited  with  your  line  of  thought." 

"  Do  you  think  that  any  one  could  be  benefited 
by  it?" 

She  was  a  little  puzzled.  Was  he,  like  some 
young  clergymen  she  had  known,  eager  for  a  few 
crumbs  of  praise  for  his  first  crude  efforts.  She  was 
not  one  to  give  any  faint  and  hollow  commendation, 
and  yet  she  did  not  wish  to  hurt  his  feelings.  But 
her  reply  had  a  tinge  of  satire  in  it,  for  she  had  no 
patience  with  the  weakness  of  vanity. 

"  I  will  hardly  venture  an  opinion.  You,  who 
have  given  so  much  time  and  thought  to  these  sub 
jects,  ought  to  be  a  better  judge  than  I." 

He  felt,  rather  than  saw,  the  delicate  barb,  and 
flushed  slightly  as  he  replied,  "  I  admit  that  perhaps 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  3 1 1 

I  ought,  but  whether  I  am  or  not,  is  quite  another 
question.  I  am  quite  sure  that  your  views  upon  the 
subjects  treated  yesterday  are  far  truer  than  mine 
were.  The  wretched,  heretical  sermon  that  I  in 
flicted  upon  you  yesterday  has  already  justly  suf 
fered  an  auto  da  ft.  Before  the  day  was  over  I  saw 
that  instead  of  preaching  the  Gospel  I  had  been 
elaborating  from  a  partial  premise,  a  crude  view  of 
my  own.  I  shall  no  longer  preach,  that  is,  if  I  preach 
at  all,  as  if  human  nature  were  the  raw  material  which 
God  intended  to  work  up  without  any  regard  to  the 
process,  or  how  much  refuse  there  was,  or  what 
became  of  it.  Is  not  Christ  weeping  from  sympathy 
at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  a  true  manifestation  of  God's 
feeling  toward  us?" 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,"  Miss  Martell  exclaimed,  "  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  to  know  your  change 
of  views.  Most  emphatically  I  say  Yes  to  your  ques 
tion.  God  is  seeking  to  develop  my  character  ;  only 
He  is  more  patient  and  gentle  than  my  good,  kind 
father.  But  why  do  you  say,  *  If  I  preach  at  all  ?  ' ' 

His  head  bowed  in  honest  humility,  as  he  replied, 
in  a  low  tone,  "  I  often  doubt  whether  I  am  worthy — 
whether  I  am  called." 

She  now  saw  that  she  had  misjudged  him,  and 
was  eager  to  reassure  and  confirm  his  purpose  for 
life  ;  and  the  converse  that  followed  had  grown  so 
absorbing  as  to  cause  Hemstead  to*  forget  for  the 
time  one,  who  by  some  right,  divine  or  otherwise, 
had  suddenly  taken  possession  of  his  thoughts  with 
a  despotism  as  sweet  as  absolute.  They  soon  found 


312  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

that  so  far  from  being  strangers  and  aliens,  they  were 
members  of  the  same  household  of  faith,  and  that, 
upon  the  deepest  and  most  vital  questions,  they  were 
in  perfect  accord.  "The  tie  that  binds  our  hearts 
in  Christian  love  "  was  recognized ;  and  they  became 
better  acquainted  in  that  brief  half  hour,  than  he 
ever  would  be  with  Bel  Parton,  whom  he  saw  daily. 

But  while  Miss  Martell  was  speaking  most  ear 
nestly  to  Hemstead,  she  saw  some  one  enter  the  chapel 
door.  Her  color  came  and  went.  The  sentence 
upon  her  lips  faltered  to  a  lame  conclusion,  and 
though  she  became  deeply  absorbed  in  the  process 
of  twilling  the  fragrant  cedar  with  the  shiny  laurel, 
she  did  not  work  as  deftly  as  before.  Looking 
round  to  see  the  cause,  Hemstead  caught  one  of 
Lottie's  reproachful  glances,  and  was  soon  at  her 
side  with  a  sense  of  almost  guilty  neglect. 

Addie  Marchmont  found  work  of  any  kind,  even 
preparation  for  the  Christmas  festival,  stupid  and 
tiresome ;  therefore  she  welcomed  the  diversion  of 
Harcourt's  coming  with  double  zest ;  and  with  ex 
travagant  exclamations  of  delight  summoned  him  to 
her  side.  Miss  Martell  stood  at  some  distance  away, 
and  had  turned  her  back  toward  them.  Harcourt 
did  not  see  her  at  first,  but  the  quest  of  his  restless 
eyes  indicated  his  hope  that  she  was  there.  In  the 
meantime  he  laughed  and  jested  with  Addie,  in 
something  of  hjs  old  time  style. 

Lottie  Marsden,  like  many  of  her  young  Ameri 
can  sisters,  could  be  decidedly  pronounced  at  times; 
but  a  certain  amount  of  grace  and  good  taste  char- 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  3  1 3 

acterized  her  manner.  Addie  had  never  been  taught 
restraint  of  any  kind,,  and  to  her  a  church  was  just 
the  place  for  a  little  wild  nonsense,  and  all  present 
were  compelled  to  feel  that  both  her  words  and  man 
ner  were  beyond  the  limits  of  good  taste,  to  say  the 
least.  To  Harcourt,  in  his  present  state  of  mind,  they 
were  so  annoying  as  to  be  almost  offensive,  and 
thinking  that  Miss  Martell  was  not  present,  he  was 
about  to  leave  the  church  in  order  to  escape. 

But  Miss  Martell,  with  her  back  toward  them, 
could  not  know  but  that  Harcourt  was  encouraging 
Addie,  and  that  her  freedom  with  him  was  war 
ranted  by  their  relations. 

"  I  have  an  engagement,"  said  Harcourt  abruptly  ; 
and  he  was  about  to  hasten  away,  when  between  in 
tervening  groups  his  eye  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  fig 
ure  rising  for  a  moment  out  of  one  of  the  high-backed 
pews,  that  suggested  to  him  the  object  of  his 
thoughts.  As  he  stepped  over  to  speak  to  Lottie, 
his  eye  lingered  in  that  direction.  Instead  of  going 
directly  out,  he  strolled  to  the  farther  end  of  the  audi 
ence  room,  speaking  and  bowing  to  one  and  another, 
but  not  permitting  his  eyes  to  wander  long  from  the 
bent  figure  of  a  lady  who  sat  with  her  back  toward 
him,  apparently  wholly  absorbed  in  wreathing  ever 
greens. 

She  felt  that  he  was   coming   toward   her — she 
heard  his  voice,  and  soon  knew  that  his  eyes  were 
scanning  her  downcast  face,  but  she  would  not  look 
up  till  he  spoke. 
14 


314  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Won't  you  deign  me  even  a  glance,  Miss  Mar- 
tell  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  color  deepened  somewhat  in  her  cheeks,  but 
she  looked  him  full  in  the  face,  and  said  quietly : 

"  Why  use  the  word  'deign,'  Mr.  Harcourt  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  because  my  conscience  suggests  that 
from  you  I  deserve  glances  of  dis-dfozW 

"  Such  '  glances  '  are  not  becoming  from  any  one, 
and  certainly  not  from  me.  Besides,"  she  added,  a 
little  bitterly,  at  the  thought  of  such  a  brainless, 
frivolous  girl  as  Addie  Marchmont  enchaining  a  man 
like  Harcourt,  "  people  do  not  get  their  deserts  in  this 
world." 

"  You  certainly  will  not." 

11  How  is  that  ?  "  she  asked  quickly,  not  taking 
his  meaning. 

"  The  world  is  not  rich  enough  to  give  it  you." 

Her  brow  contracted  into  a  sudden  frown,  and 
she  said,  a  trifle  coldly,  "  I  do  not  enjoy  that  style  of 
compliment,  Mr.  Harcourt." 

"  Is  there  any  that  you  do  enjoy  ?  " 

Her  head  bent  over  her  work  ;  her  thoughts  were 
swift  and  many,  and  •  in  the  quiet  moment  that 
Harcourt  waited  for  an  answer  to  his  commonplace 
question,  she  fought  and  won  a  battle  which,  if  never 
known  on  earth,  would  never  be  forgotten  in  heaven. 

For  the  victors  in  such  battles,  the  brightest 
crowns  of  glory  are  reserved. 

She  mastered  self  and  selfishness,. in  the  very  cit 
adel  of  their  strength.  Fierce  though  brief  was  the 
struggle  that  took  place  beneath  that  gentle,  calm 


MISUNDERSTOOD.  3  1 5 

exterior,  for  the  human  heart  is  ever  the  same — wil 
ful,  passionate.  With  many  it  is  often  like  the  wild 
storm  that  will  spend  itself  to  the  end,  no  matter 
how  much  wreck  and  ruin  is  wrought.  With  such  as 
Miss  Martell,  it  is  like  the  storm  which,  at  its  height, 
heard  the  words  of  the  Divine  Master — "  Peace,  be 
still." 

*'  Let  him  marry  Addie  Marchmont  if  he  will," 
she  concluded.  "  I  will  be  kind  and  gentle  to  him 
all  the  same,  and  cost  me  what  it  may,  I  will  still  see 
him,  and  seek  to  make  him  a  true,  good  man." 

So  with  woman's  tact  she  turned  his  question, 
which  savored  only  of  sentimental  gallantry,  to  good 
account,  and  said  quietly  : 

"  You  know  the  only  '  style  of  compliment '  that 
I  like,  and  you  enriched  me  with  it  at  Mrs.  Byram's 
company — the  promise  you  made  me." 

Harcourt  sighed  involuntarily.  She  seemed  too 
angelic — too  far  above  and  beyond  him.  As  with  a 
ministering  spirit  from  heaven,  her  only  thought  was 
to  win  him  from  evil.  Her  face  was  pale  from  the 
hidden  conflict  which  had  cost  her  more  dearly  than 
he  would  ever  know.  Her  eyes  beamed  upon  him 
with  a  gentle,  yet  sweet,  strange,  spiritual  light.  She 
scarcely  appeared  flesh  and  blood.  But  he  was  very 
human,  and  his  heart  craved  from  her  human  love 
and  earthly  solace.  Though  now,  as  at  other  times, 
this  seemed  as  presumptuous  to  him  as  if  some  dev 
otee  had  sacrilegiously  fallen  in  love  with  his  fair 
patron  saint,  still  he  felt  a  sudden  and  strong  irrita 
tion,  that  they  should  be  so  far  apart. 


316  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

She  misunderstood  his  sigh,  and  added,  "  Am  I 
a  hard  task-mistress  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head,  but  there  was  dejection  in 
his  tone  as  he  replied,  "There  have  been  many  forms 
of  idolatry  in  the  world,  but  I  have  thought  that 
those  who  worshipped  the  stars  must  have  become  a 
little  discouraged  at  times — they  are  so  far  off." 

Her  face  had  the  pained  expression  of  one  mis 
understood,  but  who  cannot  well  explain.  She  said 
only :  "  Idolatry  is  ever  profitless."  She  meant  to 
hint,  He  thought  that  his  worship  of  her  certainly 
would  be. 

He  was  chilled  at  heart.  His  quick,  impetuous 
spirit  prompted  him  toward  recklessnes,  she  saw 
that  he  was  about  to  leave  abruptly.  As  she  played 
to  win  him,  not  for  herself,  but  heaven,  she  saw  that 
she  had  made  a  mistaken  move,  though  she  could 
not  understand  his  manner.  In  her  maidenly  pride 
and  delicacy,  she  would  have  let  him  go  if  she  had 
thought  only  of  herself;  but  conscious  of  her  other 
motive,  she  could  seek  to  detain  him,  and  asked : 

"  What  did  you  mean,  Mr.  Harcourt,  by  your 
fanciful  allusion  to  star-worship  ?  " 

"  I  meant,"  he  replied  bitterly,  "  that  to  ordinary 
flesh  and  blood,  kneeling  in  the  cold  before  a  distant 
star,  be  it  ever  so  bright,  is  rather  chilling  and  dis 
couraging.  The  Greeks  were  shrewder.  They  had 
goddesses  with  warm,  helping  hands,  and  with  a  lit 
tle  sympathetic  human  imperfection." 

It  hurt  her  cruelly  that  he  so  misjudged  her ;  and, 


MIS  UNDERS  TOOD  317 

in  her  confusion,  she  again  said  that  which  he  inter 
preted  wrongly. 

"  It  is  folly,  then,  to  worship  anything  so  cold 
and  distant."  She  was  about  to  add  plainly,  "  I  am 
neither  a  star  nor  a  goddess,  but  a.  sincere  human 
friend — human  as  yourself."  She  was  about  to  make 
some  delicate  allusion  to  the  time  when  he  often 
sought  her  sisterly  advice. 

But  he,  in  the  blindness  of  strong  feeling,  saw  in 
her  words  only  rebuke  for  the  presumption  of  his 
love,  and  he  harshly  interrupted  her. 

"  No  doubt  it  is,  but  let  me  remind  you  of  a  fact 
often  true  in  missionary  experience.  After  the  poor 
devils  have  been  bereft  of  the  objects  of  their  fond 
and  credulous  worship,  by  proof  that  their  deities  are 
indifferent,  they  cease  to  have  any  faith  at  all ;  "  and 
with  a  cold  and  rather  formal  bow  he  left  her  side 
and  also  left  the  church. 

Miss  Martell's  head  bent  lower  than  ever  over  her 
work,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  she  lifted  it  or 
spoke  to  any  one.  But  the  others  were  occupied 
with  themselves,  and  no  one  had  noted  this  little 
side  scene  save  Addie,  who  pouted  that  Harcourt 
had  remained,  but  not  at  her  side,  after  his  expressed 
intention  of  leaving.  No  one  surmised  that  two  who 
had  been  present  were  sorely  hurt.  When  we 
receive  our  slight  cuts  and  bruises  through  life,  there 
is  usually  out-cry  and  abundant  sympathy.  But 
when  we  receive  our  deep  wounds  that  leave  scars, 
often  only  God  knows;  and  it  is  best  so,  for  He  can 
heal,  but  the  world  can  only  probe. 


318  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


"  T  T  OW  can  you  leave  Miss  Martell  ?  "  asked  Lot- 
il  tie,  as  Hemstead  approached  propitiatingly 
with  a  large  armful  of  the  choicest  evergreens. 

"  Well,  I  can,"  he  replied  with  a  smile. 

"  As  yet,  but  the  next  time  you  will  stay  longer, 
and  the  next,  longer  still." 

"  That  depends.  I  would  not  remain  at  her  side, 
nor  at  any  one's,  if  I  thought  they  were  tiring  of  me 
a  little." 

"  Oh,  she  got  tired  of  you." 

"Well,  yes;  a  little,  I  think.  She  suddenly 
seemed  to  lose  her  interest  in  the  conversation. 
Still  she  was  very  good  to  talk  to  me  as  long  and  as 
kindly  as  she  did.  She  is  a  very  superior  woman. 
It  has  never  been  my  good  fortune  to  meet  just  such 
a  lady  before.'' 

"  Make  the  most  of  your  'rare*  good  fortune." 

"  I  have." 

"  And  now  that  she  is  tired  of  you,  you  come 
back  to  me  as  a  dernier  rcssort" 

"  Coming  back  to  you,"  he  said  with  heightened 
color,  "  is  like  coming  back  home,  for  you  have  given 
me  the  only  home-like  feeling  that  I  have  had  dur 
ing  my  visit." 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  319 

The  language  of  coquetry  was  to  Lottie  like  her 
mother  tongue,  and  she  fell  into  it  as  naturally  as 
she  breathed.  Only  now,  instead  of  suggesting  the 
false  hope  that  he  had  been  missed  and  she  had 
cared,  it  expressed  her  true  feeling,  for  she  did  care. 

De  Forrest  now  returned  from  a  momentaiy  ab 
sence,  and  were  it  not  for  his  garrulity  the  little 
group  would  have  been  a  rather  silent  one.  Both 
young  men  sought  to  supply  Lottie  with  the  sprays 
of  green  that  she  was  twining.  She  took  the  ever 
greens  chiefly  from  De  Forrest's  hands,  but  gave  her 
thoughts  and  eyes  to  Hemstead.  He,  with  man's 
usual  penetration,  thought  De  Forrest  the  favored 
one,  and  was  inclined  to  reverse  his  half-formed  opin 
ion  that  she  was  destined  to  pathetic  martyrdom, 
because  bound  by  an  engagement  to  a  man  whom 
she  could  not  love. 

"  He  can't  think  much  of  me,"  thought  Lottie 
with  a  sigh,  "  or  he  couldn't  speak  so  frankly.  She, 
too,  was  losing  her  wonted  quick  discernment." 

Only  lynx-eyed  Bel  Parton  partially  surmised  the 
truth,  and  suspected  that  Lottie  was  developing  a 
genuine,  though  of  course  a  passing  interest,  in  the 
student  that  at  first  she  had  purposed  to  beguile  in 
mere  reckless  sport. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  and  even 
ing,  De  Forrest  was  Lottie's  shadow,  and  she  could 
escape  him  and  be  with  Hemstead,  only  by  remain 
ing  with  all  the  others.  She  was  longing  for  another 
of  their  suggestive  talks,  when,  without  the  restraint 
of  the  curious  and  unsympathetic,  they  could  con- 


320  FROM   JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

tinue   the  theme  that    De  Forrest  had   interrupted 
Sunday  afternoon. 

She  was  thinking  how  to  bring  this  about,  when 
the  old  plan  of  visiting  Mrs.  Dlimm  occurred  to  her, 
and  she  adopted  it  at  once. 

Getting  a  moment  aside  with  Hemstead,  by  being 
down  to  breakfast  a  little  before  the  others,  she  said  : 

"After  my  naughty  behavior  in  regard  to  our 
visit  to  Mrs.  Dlimm,  will  you  still  take  me  there  ?  " 

"  I  wish  you  would  give  me  a  chance,"  he  answered 
eagerly. 

"  Well,  I  will,  at  ten  this  morning.  But  please 
say  nothing  about  it.  Drive  to  the  door  in  the  cut 
ter,  and  I  will  be  ready.  If  the  matter  is  discussed, 
there  may  be  half  a  dozen  other  projects  started. 

Hemstead  ate  but  an  indifferent  breakfast,  and 
there  was  also  a  faint  glow  of  expectant  excitement 
in  Lottie's  face. 

Hemstead  promptly  sought  his  aunt,  and  asked 
if  he  might  have  a  horse  and  the  single  sleigh. 

"  I  hope  another  time  will  answer,"  said  Mrs. 
Marchmont  carelessly,  "  Addie  wishes  the  horses  this 
morning,  but  I  believe  proposes  taking  you  all  out." 

But  Hemstead  was  not  to  be  baffled,  and  acted 
with  more  energy  than  prudence  perhaps.  Lottie 
from  her  window  saw  him  posting  with  long  strides 
toward  the  village,  and  exultingly  surmised  his 
object.  At  ten  he  drove  up  to  the  door,  with  a  neat 
little  turnout  from  the  livery  stable  ;  and  she  tripped 
down  and  took  a  seat  at  his  side,  and  they  were  off 
before  the  rest  of  the  household  realized  their  purpose. 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  321 

They  all  looked  at  each  other  questioningly,  as  a 
few  moments  later  they  gathered  in  the  parlor  for  a 
a  general  sleigh-ride. 

Mr.  Dimmerly,  who  had  quietly  watched  pro 
ceedings,  broke  out  into  his  cackling  laugh,  as  he 
chuckled : 

"  He  shows  his  blood.  A  dozen  seminaries  could 
not  quench  him  utterly." 

Mrs.  Marchmont  frowned.  She  rigidly  applied 
the  rules  of  propriety  to  all  save  her  own  children, 
and  she  justly  thought  that  both  Hemstead  and 
Lottie  had  failed  in  courtesy  to  her  and  her  guests, 
by  stealing  away,  as  it  were,  without  any  explana 
tions.  But  people  of  one  idea  often  fail  in  more 
than  mere  matters  of  courtesy  ;  and  Hemstead  and 
Lottie  were  emphatically  becoming  people  of  one 
idea.  And  they  both  had  misgivings  and  a  sense 
of  wrong-doing  as  they  drove  away  without  a  word 
of  explanation. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  was  still  more  puzzled,  when 
Addie  exclaimed  petulantly  : 

"  I  thought  the  agreement  was  that  Lottie  should 
carry  out  the  joke  when  and  where  we  could  all 
enjoy  it." 

The  lady  was  led  to  suspect  that  there  was  some 
thing  on  foot  that  might  need  her  investigation,  and 
she  quietly  resolved  to  judiciously  use  her  eyes  and 
ears.  She  well  knew  that  her  proud  and  fashiona 
ble  sister,  Lottie's  mother,  would  hold  her  to  strict 
account,  if  Lottie  did  anything  foolish. 

Bel   merely    shrugged   her   shoulders    cynically. 
14* 


322  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

She  had  a  certain  kind  of  loyalty  to  her  friend,  and 
said  all  her  harsh  things  to  Lottie  herself,  and  not 
behind  her  back. 

De  Forrest  had  no  other  resource  than  to  believe 
that  Lottie  was  carrying  out  the  practical  joke  ;  but 
a  sorry  jest  he  found  it  that  morning,  during  which 
he  scarcely  spoke  to  any  one. 

They  drove  over  to  town  for  Harcourt,  but  he 
greatly  provoked  Addie  by  pleading  that  his  busi 
ness  would  not  permit  absence.  During  the  rest  of 
the  drive  they  all  might  have  formed  part  of  a  fune 
ral  procession. 

But  the  snow  crystals  did  not  sparkle  in  the  sun 
light  more  brightly  than  Lottie's  eyes,  as  she  turned 
to  her  companion,  and  said  : 

"  I  am  so  delighted  that  we  are  safely  off  on  our 
drive." 

"  Oh,  it's  the  '  drive  '  you  are  thinking  of.  That 
is  better  than  I  hoped.  I  thought  we  were  visiting 
Mrs.  Dlimm." 

"  So  we  are.  and  I  want  to  see  her  too,"  said 
Lottie,  with  a  sudden  blush. 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  you  don't  dread  the  long,  inter 
vening  miles,  with  no  better  company  than  mine." 

"  It's  a  good  chance  to  learn  patient  endurance," 
she  replied,  with  a  look  delightfully  arch.  "  So 
please  drive  slower." 

The  horse  instantly  came  to  a  walk. 

"  That  is  the  other  extreme,"  she  continued  ;  "  you 
always  go  to  extremes,  as  for  instance,  your  Quixotic 
purpose  to  go  out  among  the  border  ruffians." 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  323 

"  Honestly,  Miss  Marsden,"  said  Hemstead,  his 
laughing  face  suddenly  becoming  grave,  "  you  do  not 
now  think,  in  your  heart,  my  purpose  to  be  a  home 
missionary  *  Quixotic.'  " 

"  I  don't  know  much  about  my  heart, *Mr.  Hem- 
stead,  except  that  it  has  always  been  very  perverse. 
But  I  now  wish  I  had  a  better  one.  You  have  dis 
turbed  the  equanimity  with  which  I  could  do  wrong 
most  wofully.  I  even  feel  a  little  guilty  for  leaving 
them  all  this  morning,  with  no  explanations." 

"  It  was  hardly  right,  now  I  think  of  it,"  said 
Hemstead;  reflectively. 

"  Have  you  just  thought  of  it?  How  preoccu 
pied  you  have  been.  What  have  you  been  thinking 
about.  Yes,  it  was  wrong,  but  as  it  is  the  first 
wicked  thing  I  have  caught  you  in  I  am  quite  com 
forted.  I  have  been  hoping  all  along  that  you  would 
do  something  just  a  little  bit  encouragingly  wicked." 

"  How  little  you  understand  me.  My  wickedness 
and  consequent  twinges  of  conscience  have  been  my 
chief  sources  of  trouble  thus  far." 

"  Oh,  well,  your  conscience  is  like  Aunty  Jane. 
A  speck  of  dust  gives  her  the  fidgets  where  other 
people  would  not  see  any  dust  at  all.  If  your  con 
science  had  to  deal  with  my  sins  there  would  not  be 
ashes  and  hair-cloth  enough  for  you." 

"  What  good  can  ashes,  hair-cloth,  or  any  kind  of 
self-punishment,  or  even  self-condemnation,  do  us  ?  " 

"  Well,  we  ought  to  be  sorry,  at  least." 

"  Certainly,  but  there  must  be  more  than  that. 
Many  a  wrong-doer  has  been  sincerely  sorry,  but  has 


324  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

been  punished  all  the  same.  I  cannot  tell  you,  Miss 
Marsden,  how  much  good  you  did  me  on  Sunday 
afternoon.  My  mind  had  been  dwelling  on  the  attri 
butes  of  God — upon  d.octrines  as  if  they  were  things 
by  themselves  and  complete  in  themselves.  1  almost 
fear  that  I  would  have  become,  as  I  fear  some  are,  the 
disciple  of  a  religious  system,  instead  of  a  simple  and 
loyal  follower  of  Christ.  But  you  fixed  my  eyes 
on  a  living  personality,  who  has  the  right  to  say  *  I 
forgive  you,'  and  I  am  forgiven  ;  who  has  the  right 
to  say  '  I  will  save  you/  and  I  am  saved.  If  He  is 
the  Divine  Son  of  God,  as  He  claims  to  be,  has  He 
not  the  right?" 

"  Yes.  He  must  be  able  to  do  just  what  is  pleas 
ing  to  Him,"  safd  Lottie  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Then  look  upon  Him  as  you  saw  Him  at  the 
grave  of  Lazarus,  the  very  embodiment  of  sympathy. 
Suppose,  that  in  sincere  regret  for  all  the  wrong  you 
have  ever  done,  and  with  the  honest  wish  to  be 
better,  you  go  to  such  a  being  and  cry,  Forgive.  Can 
you  doubt  his  natural,  inevitable  course  toward  you  ? 
If  pardoning  love  and  mercy  should  encircle  you  at 
once,  would  it  not  be  in  perfect  keeping  with  His 
tears  of  sympathy  ?  " 

"  And  is  that  all  I  have  to  do  to  get  rid  of  the 
old,  dark  record  against  me  ?  Oh,  how  black  it  looked 
last  Saturday." 

"  That  is  all.  What  more  can  you  do  ?  Who 
was  it  that  said,  '  Be  of  good  cheer,  thy  sins  be 
forgiven  thee  '  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lottie,  in  a  low  tone,  "  I 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  325 

have  felt  very  strangely — differently  from  any  time 
before  in  all  my  life,  since  last  Sunday  afternoon.  I 
seemed  to  look  upon  Christ  as  if  he  were  before  me, 
and  I  saw  the  tears  in  his  eyes,  as  I  saw  them  in  yours 
the  evening  you  said  such  plain  things  to  me,  and  I 
have  felt  a  peculiar  lightness  of  heart  ever  since. 
That  hymn  we  sang  on  Sunday  evening  expressed  so 
exactly  what  I  felt  that  I  was  overpowered.  It  ap 
peared  written  for  me  alone.  Do  you  think  I 
can  be  a  Christian?  Do  you  think  that  I  have 
been  converted  ?  " 

Hemstead's  eyes  glistened,  and  his  heart  bounded 
at  the  thought ;  but  he  felt  that  he  was  in  a  grave 
and  responsible  position,  and  after  a  moment's 
thought  answered  wisely : 

"  I  can  base  no  safe  and  positive  answer  on  your 
feeling.  I  have  already  learned  from  my  own  ex 
perience  and  that  of  others,  that  religious  feeling  is 
something  that  comes  and  goes,  and  cannot  be 
depended  upon.  The  test  question  is,  How  will 
you  treat  this  Jesus  whom  you  have  seen,  and  who  has 
proved  Himself  both  worthy  to  win  and  keep  your 
trust  ?  A  little  strong  feeling  and  sentiment  in 
regard  to  Him  cannot  do  you  much  good.  What 
practical  relation  do  you  intend  to  hold  toward  him  ? 
No  doubt  many  that  saw  him  weep,  and  then  raise 
Lazarus  after  he  had  been  four  days  dead,  were  pro 
foundly  moved,  but  the  majority  went  on  in  their  old 
ways  all  the  same.  You  abound  in  strong,  common 
sense,  and  must  see  that  more  than  even  sincere,  deep 
feeling  is  necessary.  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ? 


326  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

Are  you  willing  to  take  up  your  cross  and  become 
His  faithful  follower?" 

"  That  involves  a  great  deal,"  said  Lottie,  with  a 
long  breath. 

"  It  does  indeed,"  he  replied  earnestly.  "  I  would 
give  my  life  to  make  you  a  Christian,  and  yet  I 
would  not  see"k  to  win  you  for  Him  by  false  pre 
tences,  or  hide  any  part  of  the  rugged  path  of  self- 
denial.  Count  well  the  cost.  But  believe  me,  Miss 
Marsden,"  he  added,  in  a  tone  that  brought  a  sudden 
paleness  to  her  cheek,  "  not  following  Him  involves 
far  more  that  is  sad  and  terrible." 

Tears  stood  in  Lottie's  eyes.  She  was  silent  a  few 
moments,  and  was  evidently  thinking  deeply.  The 
young  clergyman  was  desperately  in  earnest  and 
fairly  trembled  in  the  eagerness  of  his  expectation. 
He  hoped  that  Lottie  would  come  to  a  solemn  and 
half-heroic  and  formal  decision.  But  he  was  both 
puzzled  and  disappointed  by  the  sudden  and  brusque 
manner  with  which  she  turned  upon  him  as  she  said  : 

"  Where  is  the  heavy  cross  that  I  must  take  up  ? 
Show  it  to  me,  and  I  will  think  about  it.  Where  is 
the  rugged  path  ?  This  one  that  leads  to  Mrs.  Dlimm 
is  very  pleasant.  I  don't  see  anything  very  awful 
in  being  a  Christian  now-a-days.  Of  course  I  will 
have  to  give  up  all  my  old  nonsense  and  flirt —  Well, 
I  suppose  I  might  as  well  say  it  out.  But  there 
are  no  Inquisitions,  with  thumb-screws  and  racks, 
any  longer.  Come,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  are  a 
Christian.  What  heavy  cross  are  you  .bearing  ?  I 
hope  you  are  not  in  the  rugged  path  of  self-denial  this 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND  SEE.  327 

morning,  while  taking  me  to  Mrs.  Dlimm's.  I  don't 
know  any  one  who  appears  to  enjoy  the  good  things 
of  life  more  than  you.  I  don't  know  what  answer  to 
give  to  your  solemn  and  far-reaching  questions.  I 
haven't  much  confidence  in  what  Lottie  Marsden 
will  do.  All  I  know  is  that  I  feel  as  I  imagine  one 
of  those  children  did  whom  Jesus  took  in  his  arms 
and  blessed." 

"  But  suppose,"  urged  her  anxious  spiritual 
guide,  who  felt  that  she  was  giving  a  reason  for  her 
faith  that  would  hardly  satisfy  the  grave  elders  of 
the  church,  "  suppose  that  at  some  future  time  He 
should  impose  a  heavy  cross,  or  ask  of  you  painful 
self-denial,  would  you  shrink?  " 

She  turned  her  dewy  eyes  upon  him  with  a  look 
of  mingled  archness  and  earnestness  that  he  never 
forgot,  and  said  significantly,  "  I  do  not  remember 
the  New  Testament  story  very  perfectly,  but  when 
the  last,  dark  days  came,  women  stood  by  their  Lord 
as  faithfully  as  the  men — didn't  they?  " 

Hemstead  bowed  his  head  in  sudden  humility, 
and  said  in  a  low  tone  : 

"You  are  right.  It  was  not  woman  who  be 
trayed,  nor  did  woman  desert  or  deny  Him.  Still  I 
treasure  the  suggestion  of  your  answer  beyond  all 
words." 

The  tears  stood  thick  in  Lottie's  eyes,  and  she 
was  provoked  that  they  did.  Her  strong  feelings 
were  quick  to  find  expression,  and  Hemstead  seemed 
to  have  the  power,  as  no  one  else  ever  had,  to 
evoke  them.  But  she  had  a  morbid  dislike  of 


328  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

showing  emotion  or  anything  verging  toward  senti 
ment  ;  therefore  she  would  persist  in  giving  a  light 
and  playful  turn  to  his  sombre  earnestness. 

"  I  did  not  mean,"  she  said,  "  to  be  so  hard  upon 
the  men,  nor  to  secure  so  rich  a  tribute  to  my  sex. 
I  imagine  we  all  stand  in  need  of  charity  alike. 
Only  do  not  expect  too  much  of  me.  I  dare  not 
promise  anything.  You  must  wait  and  see." 

"  Though  you  promise  so  little,  you  inspire  me 
with  more  confidence  than  many  whom  I  have  heard 
make  great  professions  ;  "  and  the  light  of  a  great  joy 
and  a  great  hope  shone  in  his  eyes. 

"You  look  very  happy,  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lot 
tie  gratefully.  "  Would  you  be  very  glad  to  have 
me  become  a  Christian?" 

He  looked  at  her  so  earnestly  that  the  rich  blood 
mounted  to  her  very  brow.  After  a  moment  he 
replied,  in  a  low,  trembling  tone : 

"  I  scarcely  dare  trust  myself  to  answer  your  ques 
tion,  and  yet  I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  assure  you 
that  if  I  could  feel  that  you  were  a  Christian  before 
I  go  away,  it  seems  as  if  I  could  never  see  a  dark 
day  again.  O  Miss  Marsden,  how  I  have  hoped  and 
prayed  that  you  might  become  one.5' 

Her  head  bowed  low  in  guilty  shame.  She  com 
pared  her  purpose  toward  him  with  his  toward  her. 
Before  she  thought,  the  words  slipped  out : 

"  And  for  all  my  wrong  to  you,  you  seek  to  give 
me  heaven  in  return." 

He  looked  at  her  inquiringly,  not  understanding 
her  remark ;  but  after  a  moment  said,  "  It  would  be 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  329 

heaven  to  me  on  earth,  even  in  my  lonely  work  in 
the  West,  if  I  could  remember  that,  as  a  result  of  our 
brief  acquaintance,  you  had  become  a  Christian." 

"  Well,"  she  said  emphatically,  "  our  acquaintance 
does  promise  to  end  differently  from  what  I  ex 
pected  ;  and  it  is  because  you  are  different.  You 
are  not  the  kind  of  a  man  that  I  expected  you 
would  be." 

"  But  I  understood  you  from  the  first,"  remarked 
Hemstead  complacently.  "  My  first  impression  when 
you  gave  me  your  warm  hand,  and  the  only  true  wel 
come  I  received,  has  been  borne  out.  Though  at 
times  you  have  puzzled  me,  still,  the  proof  you  gave 
— on  the  evening  of  my  arrival — of  a  true,  generous, 
and  womanly  nature,  has  been  confirmed  again  and 
again.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  your  faults  were 
due  largely  to  circumstances,  but  that  your  good 
qualities  were  native." 

Again  Lottie  turned  away  her  burning  cheeks  in 
deep  embarrassment.  Should  she  tell  him  all  ?  She 
felt  she  could  not.  To  lose  his  good  opinion  and 
friendship  now  seemed  terrible.  But  conscience 
demanded  that  she  should  be  perfectly  frank  and 
sincere  with  him,  and  her  fears  whispered : 

"  He  may  learn  it  from  the  others,  and  that  would 
be  far  worse  than  if  I  told  him  myself." 

But  her  moral  strength  was  not  yet  equal  to  the 
test.  The  old,  prevailing  influences  of  her  life  again 
swayed  her,  and  she  guided  the  conversation  from 
the  topic  as  a  pilot  would  shun  a  dangerous  rock. 

"  I  will  tell  him  all  about  it  at  some  future  time," 


33°  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

she  thought  ;  "  but  not  yet  when  the  knowledge 
might  drive  him  away  in  anger." 

She  seized  upon  one  of  his  words,  which,  when 
spoken,  had  jarred  unpleasantly  upon  her  feeling. 

44  Why  do  you  speak  of  our  acquaintance  as  brief? 
Are  we  to  be  strangers  again  after  this  short  visit  is 
over  ?  " 

"  I  most  positively  assure  you  that  you  can  never 
be  a  stranger  to  me  again,"  he  said  eagerly.  "  But 
in  a  few  days  you  will  go  to  New  York,  and  I  thou 
sands  of  miles  in  another  direction.  If  I  should 
tell  you  how  you  will  dwell  in  my  thoughts  like  an 
inspiration  I  fear  you  would  think  me  sentimental. 
But  in  your  absorbing  city  life  I  fear  that  I  shall 
soon  become  as  a  stranger  to  you." 

11  Well,"  said  Lottie,  again  blushing,  "  I  don't 
think  I'll  promise  you  anything  this  time  either. 
You  must  wait  and  see.  But  is  that  dreadful  fron 
tier  life  of  yours  a  foregone  conclusion  ?  " 

"Yes,"  he  said,  with  quiet  emphasis. 

"  There  are  plenty  of  heathen  in  New  York,  Mr. 
Hemstead.  You  found  one  of  them  in  me,  and  see 
how  much  good  you  have  done ;  at  least,  I  hope  you 
have." 

There  are  also  plenty  of  Christians  in  New  York 
to  take  care  of  them.  I  commend  some  of  the 
heathen  to  you." 

"  I  fear  that  they  will  remain  heathen  for  all  that 
I  can  do." 

"  No  indeed,  Miss  Marsden.  Please  never  think 
that.  No  one  has  a  right  to  say,  *  I  can  do  nothing,' 


YOU  MUST    WAIT  AND   SEE.  331 

and  you  least  of  all.  Apart  from  your  other  gifts, 
you  abound  in  personal  magnetism,  and  almost  in 
stantly  gain  control  of  those  around  you." 

"  How  mistaken  you  are.  I  have  no  control  over 
you." 

"  More  than  you  think,  perhaps,"  he  said,  flush 
ing  deeply. 

It  was  his  heart  that  spoke  then,  and  not  his  will, 
instructed  by  deliberate  reason. 

She  too  flushed,  but  said  laughingly,  "  What  are 
words  !  Let  me  test  my  power.  Take  a  church  in 
New  York  instead  of  a  thousand  miles  out  of  the 
world." 

"  You  are  not  in  earnest,"  he  said,  a  little  sadly. 
"  You  would  not  seek  to  dissuade  me  from  what  I 
regard  as  a  sacred  duty  ?  " 

"  But  is  it  '  a  sacred  duty '  ?  There  are  plenty  of 
others — less  cultivated,  less  capable  of  doing  good,  in 
the  refined  and  critical  East." 

"  That  is  not  the  way  a  soldier  reasons.  Some  one 
must  go  to  the  front  of  the  battle.  And  what  excuse 
can  such  a  vigorous  young  fellow  as  I  am  have  for 
hanging  back?" 

As  he  turned  his  glowing  face  upon  her  she 
caught  his  enthusiasm,  and  said  impulsively : 

"  And  in  the  front  of  the 'battle  I  would  be,  if  I 
were  a  man,  as  I  often  wish  I  were." 

"  The  line  of  God's  battle  with  evil  is  very  long, 
Miss  Marsden.  I  think  you  can  find  the  front  in 
New  York  as  truly  as  I  in  the  West.  In  this  fight 


332  "ROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

woman  can  often  do  as  much  as  man.  Won't  you 
try?" 

"  I  shall  not  promise  you  anything,"  she  said. 
"  You  must  wait  and  see." 

They  were  now  before  the  parsonage  in  the  ham 
let  of  Scrub  Oaks.  The  sound  of  the  bells  brought 
Mrs.  Dlimm's  faded  face  to  the  window,  and  on 
recognizing  them  she  clapped  her  hands  for  joy,  as 
one  of  her  own  children  might  have  done  ;  and  a 
moment  later  was  smiling  upon  the  little  porch,  the 
very  embodiment  of  welcome. 


A  RATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL.        333 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A   RATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD   SCHOOL. 

"  T  KN  EW  you  would  come,"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm,  tak- 
JL  ing  both  of  Lottie's  hands  with  utter  absence 
of  all  formality.  "  Husband  said  I  needn't  look  for 
you  any  more,  but  I  felt  it  in  my  bones — no,  my 
heart — that  you  would  come.  When  I  feel  a  thing  is 
going  to  take  place  it  always  does.  So  you  are  here. 
I  am  very  glad  to  see  your — Mr.  Hemstead — 
too.  This  is  splendid."  And  Mrs.  Dlimm  exultantly 
ushered  Lottie  into  the  room  that,  when  last  seen, 
was  crowded  with  such  a  motley  assembly.  Hem- 
stead  meanwhile  drove  the  horse  to  an  adjacent  shed. 

"  But  he  isn't  my  Mr.  Hemstead,"  said  Lottie, 
laughing. 

"  Well,  it  seems  as  if  he  were  related,  or  belonged 
to  you  in  some  way.  When  I  think  of  one,  I  can't 
help  thinking  of  the  other." 

"  O  dear,"  exclaimed  Lottie,  still  laughing,  blush 
ing,  and  affecting  comic  alarm,  "  being  joined  together 
by  a  minister's  wife  is  almost  as  bad  as  by  the 
minister  himself." 

"  Almost  as  good,  you  mean.  You  would  have 
my  congratulation  rather  than  sympathy  if  you 
secured  such  a  prince  among  men." 


334  FROM   JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

"  How  little  you  know  about  him,  Mrs.  Dlimm. 
He  is  going  to  be  a  poor,  forlorn  home  missionary  ; 
and  your  husband's  increased  salary  will  be  royal 
compared  with  his." 

"  He  will  never  be  forlorn  ;  and  how  long  will  he 
be  poor? " 

"  All  his  life  possibly." 

"  That's  not  very  long.  What  will  come  after  ? 
What  kind  of  a  master  is  he  serving  ?  " 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Lottie,  lowering  her  tone, 
and  giving  her  chair  a  little  confidential  hitch  toward 
the  simple-hearted  lady  with  whom  formality  and 
circumlocution  were  impossible,  "  that  I  am  begin 
ning  to  think  about  these  things  a  great  deal." 

"  I  don't  wonder,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm, 
with  a  little  sigh  of  satisfaction  ;  "  no  one  could  help 
thinking  about  him  who  saw  his  manly  courtesy  and 
tact  the  evening  you  were  here." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Lottie,  blushing  still  more  deeply, 
"  I  did  not  mean  that.  Please  understand  me.  Mr. 
Hemstead  is  only  a  chance  acquaintance  that  I  have 
met  while  visiting  my  aunt,  Mrs.  Marchmont.  I 
mean  that  when  I  was  here  last  I  was  a  very  naughty 
girl,  but  I  have  since  been  thinking  how  I  could  be 
a  better  one.  Indeed,  I  would  like  to  be  a  Christian,  as 
you  are." 

In  a  moment  the  little  lady  was  all  tender  solici 
tude.  She  was  one  who  believed  in  conversion  ; 
and  to  her,  being  converted  was  the  greatest  event 
of  life. 

But  just  then  Hemstead   entered,  and   she  had 


A  RATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL.         335 

enough  natural,  womanly  interest — not  curiosity— to 
note  the  unconscious  welcome  of  Lottie's  eyes,  and 
the  quick  color  come  and  go  in  her  face,  as  if  a  fire 
were  burning  in  her  heart  and  throwing  its  flickering 
light  upon  her  fair  features. 

"  Chance  acquaintance,  indeed,"  she  thought. 
"  Why,  here  is  this  city-bred  girl  blushing  as  I 
once  did  about  Mr.  Dlimm.  Whether  she  knows 
it  or  not,  her  blushes  must  tell  the  same  story  as 
mine." 

But  though  Mrs.  Dlimm  was  so  unconventional, 
she  had  tact,  and  turned  the  conversation  on  the 
subject  of  the  donation  party. 

"  See  here,"  she  exclaimed  exultantly,  tugging  a 
bulky  commentary,  "  this  is  one  of  the  results  of 
your  coming  the  other  evening.  Mr.  Dlimm  has 
been  wanting  this  book  a  long  time,  and  now  he 
pores  over  it  so  much  that  I  am  getting  jealous." 

"  The  opinions  expressed  in  such  a  ponderous 
volume  ought  to  have  great  weight,  surely,"  said 
Hemstead,  smiling. 

"And  do  you  know,"  she  continued,  in  an  aside 
to  Lottie,  "  that  each  of  the  children  has  had  a  new 
warm  winter  suit,  and,  wonderful  to  tell,  I  have 
bought  myself  a  dress  right  from  the  store,  instead 
of  making  over  something  sent  me  by  brother  Abel's 
wife  from  New  York." 

Lottie's  eyes  moistened,  and  she  said  in  half  soli 
loquy,  "  I  didn't  know  it  was  so  nice  and  easy  to 
make  others  happy." 

"  Ah !  depend  upon  it,  you  are  learning  lots  of 


FROM   JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

things,"  said  Mrs.  Dlimm,  significantly.  "  When  God 
begins  to  teach,  then  we  do  learn — and  something 
worth  knowing,  too." 

"  I  thought  that  God's  lessons  were  very  hard 
and  painful,"  said  Lottie  to  Hemstead,  with  a  spice 
of  mischief  in  her  manner. 

"  Mrs.  Dlimm  is  a  better  authority  than  I  was," 
he  replied,  with  a  quick  flush.  "  Do  you  know,"  he 
continued,  addressing  their  hostess,  "  that  Miss 
Marsden  has  done  more  to  teach  me  how  to  preach 
than  all  my  years  at  the  seminary." 

11  Surely,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dlimm,  "  that's  a  rather 
strong  statement.  I  can  understand  how  Miss  Mars- 
den  can  do  a  great  deal  for  one.  We  have  had  very 
nice  experience  in  that  direction;  but  just  how 
she  should  teach  you  more  than  all  the  grave 
professors  and  learned  text-books  is  not  clear  at 
once." 

"  Well,  she  has,"  he  maintained  stoutly.  "  I 
doubt  whether  your  husband  gets  as  much  light  upon 
the  Bible  from  that  huge  commentary  there  as  Miss 
Marsden  gave  me  in  one  afternoon." 

Mrs.  Dlimm  turned  her  eyes  inquiringly  toward 
Lottie,  who  said,  laughingly  : 

"  It  would  seem,  last  week,  that  I  was  a  heathen 
and  Mr.  Hemstead  a  heretic." 

"  And  what  are  you  now?" 

"  Oh,  he's  all  right  now." 

"And  not  you?" 

"  I  fear  I  always  will  be  a  little  crooked ;  but  I 
hope  I  am  not  exactly  a  heathen  any  longer." 


A  NATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL.         337 

"  Miss  Marsden  was  a  heathen  as  Nathaniel  was 
a  shrewd  and  dishonest  Jew,"  said  Hemstead. 

"What  kind  of  a  Jew  was  Nathaniel?"  asked 
Lottie  innocently. 

"  Christ  said,  when  he  first  saw  him,"  replied 
Mrs.  Dlimm,  smiling,  " '  Behold  an  Israelite  indeed, 
in  whom  is  no  guile.'  ': 

Then  both  were  puzzled  at  Lottie's  sudden  and 
painful  flush,  but  they  ascribed  it  to  her  modesty ; 
and  Hemstead,  to  give  her  time  to  recover  herself, 
gave  a  brief  sketch  of  his  sermon,  and  how,  in  the 
afternoon,  while  reading,  at  Lottie's  suggestion,  the 
complete  story  of  Lazarus,  they  both  had  seen  the 
unspeakable  sympathy  of  Christ  for  those  He  sought 
to  save. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  thought  Lottie,  "  when  shall  I  escape 
the  consequences  of  my  foolish  jest?  '  Without 
guile,'  indeed !" 

Mr.  Dlimm  now  appeared,  and  he  and  Hemstead 
were  soon  discussing  the  rendering  of  an  obscure 
passage,  upon  which  the  big  commentary  gave  the 
conflicting  opinions  of  a  dozen  learned  doctors. 
Mrs.  Dlimm  carried  Lottie  off  to  her  sanctum,  the 
nursery — the  fruitful  source  of  questions  and  myste 
ries  the  learned  doctors  would  find  still  more  difficult 
to  solve. 

"  And  you  are  contented  with  this  narrow  round 
of  life  ? "  asked  Lottie,  curiously,  as  Mrs.  Dlimm  fin 
ished  the  narration  of  what  seemed  to  her  very  tame 
experience. 

"  Narrow  !  "  said  Mrs.  Dlimm  reproachfully,  "  my 


S38  FROM   JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

life  aiid  work  are  not  narrow.  I  have  six  little  im 
mortals  to  train.  A  million  years  hence  they  will 
either  bless  or  reproach  me.  What  consideration  in 
fashionable  life  is  equal  to  that  ?  Besides,  my  hus 
band  is  engaged  in  the  same  kind  of  work  that 
brought  the  Son  of  God  from  heaven  to  earth.  It  is 
my  privilege  to  help  him.  Scrub  Oaks  is  as  much  of 
a  place  as  many  of  the  villages  in  which  He  preached, 
and  I  am  grateful  that  I  can  take  part  in  so  royal  a 
calling." 

"  Mrs.  Dlimm,"  said  Lottie,  with  sudden  anima 
tion,  "  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  you  and  your  husband 
were  very  great  people  in  heaven." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  the  little  lady  laughing.  "  We 
never  think  of  that.  Why  should  we  ?  But  I  know 
there  will  be  a  nook  there  for  us,  and  the  thought 
makes  me  very  happy." 

"  And  you  really  and  truly  have  been  happy  in  all 
your  toil  and  privations." 

"  Yes,'  said  Mrs.  Dlimm,  with  a  strange,  far-away 
look  coming  into  her  large  blue  eyes ;  "  when  every 
thing  on  earth  has  been  darkest  I  have  been  most 
happy,  and  this  has  confirmed  my  faith.  Little 
children  are  sources  of  great  joy,  but  they  also  cause 
much  pain  and  anxiety.  Yet  when  I  have  been 
suffering  most — when  the  wardrobe  has  been  scanty 
and  the  larder  almost  bare,  God  has  taken  me  to  His 
heart  as  I  clasp  this  child  here,  and  comforted  by 
assuring  me,  *  Never  fear,  my  child,  I  will  take  care 
care  of  you  and  yours.'  See  how  He  keeps  His  word. 
He  sent  you  here,  with  your  bright,  sunny  face.  He 


A  RATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL.        339 

sent  Mr.  Hemstead  here  ;  and  between  you  both  we 
shall  make  a  long  stage  %of  our  homeward  journey 
most  pleasantly." 

"  I  never  heard  anyone  talk  like  you  before,"  said 
Lottie,  musingly.  "  You  seem  to  believe  all  the 
Bible  says,  as  if  it  were  actually  right  before  you.'' 

"Believe!  Why  not?  The  idea  of  God  not 
keeping  his  word  !  " 

"  And  is  faith  just  the  certainty  that  God  will 
keep  His  word  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  faith ;  and  though  this  great  world 
— for  little  bits  of  which  people  lose  their  souls — shall 
pass  away,  God's  word  shall  stand  until  His  least 
promise  is  fulfilled." 

"  That  is  not  our  creed  on  Fifth  Avenue,"  said 
Lottie  sadly.  "The  world  first,  God  last.  But  you 
sometimes,  surely,  wish  that  Mr.  Dlimm  was  rich, 
and  that  you  could  have  for  him  and  the  children 
and  yourself  all  that  heart  could  wish  ?  " 

"  I  used  to  feel  so  occasionally,  but  I  have  got 
past  that  now.  God  loves  my  husband  and  children 
better  than  I  do,  and  He  will  provide  what  is  best  for 
us  all.  I  simply  try  to  rest  in  His  arms  as  this  child 
does  in  mine." 

"  How  strange  it  all  is,"  said  Lottie  thoughtfully. 

"  Why  strange  ?  Your  earthly  father  provides  for 
you  the  best  he  can  ;  and  if  our  Heavenly  Father 
provides  for  us  in  the  same  way,  surely  will  not  His 
be  the  better  provision  ?  What  an  absurd,  unnatu 
ral  thing  it  is  to  suppose  there  is  anything  better  than 
what  God  will  give  his  own  dear  children.  Are  not 


340  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

both  earth  and  heaven  His  ?  and  He  has  promised 
the  best  of  both  to  us." 

"  I  can  scarcely  realize  it  all  yet,"  said  Lottie,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes.  "  I  suppose  it  is  because  you  are 
so  natural  and  true  that  you  seem  so  odd  to  me,  who 
have  been  brought  up  among  those  that  I  fear  look 
at  things  in  false  lights." 

"  I  think  I  understand  you,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Dlimm,  hopefully.  "  A  child's  penny  toy  will  hide  a 
great  mountain  if  held  too  near  the  eyes.  It  is  thus 
the  eyes  of  the  worldly  are  blinded  by  trifles  till  I 
fear  some  will  never  see  God  or  heaven.  But  He 
is  teaching  you  better.  As  long  as  you  follow  His 
gentle  leadings,  and  the  pure  impulses  of  your  own 
heart,  all  will  be  well.  But  as  soon  as  you  begin  to 
take  counsel  of  the  world  and  its  self-seeking  spirit, 
you  will  find  yourself  in  trouble.  If  we  wish  to  pros 
per  and  be  happy  in  God's  world,  we  must  do  His 
will.  This  is  good,  sound,  common  sense,  which  the 
experience  of  every  age  has  borne  out.  It  often 
seems  hard  at  first,  my  dear,  as  you  will  find  out.  The 
scourging  was  very  hard  to  bear  ;  but  Paul  and  Silas, 
singing  in  prison,  with  their  feet  made  fast  in  the 
stocks,  were  better  off  than  their  jailor,  who  was  about 
to  kill  himself  and  the  magistrates,  who,  no  doubt, 
were  in  mortal  fear  because  of  the  earthquake.  We, 
too,  can  sing,  whatever  happens,  as  long  as  God  and 
conscience  are  upon  our  side." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Mrs.  Dlimm  was  a 
rationalist  as  well  as  a  believer,  though  not  of  the 
new  school. 


A  NATIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCHOOL.         341 

For  some  reason,  her  philosophy  was  peculiarly 
acceptable  to  Lottie,  and  though  scarcely  conscious 
why,  the  exhortation  to  follow  the  impulses  of  her 
own  heart  seemed  especially  natural  and  right ;  but 
her  fashionable  mother  would  have  been  alarmed  in 
deed,  if  she  had  known  that  her  beautiful  daughter 
was  becoming  the  disciple  of  Mrs.  Dlimm. 

Though  their  call  was  by  no  means  a  short  one,  it 
passed  all  too  quickly.  The  memory  of  it  would 
never  fade  from  Lottie's  mind  ;  and  it  became  another 
link  in  the  chain  by  which  God  was  seeking  to  bind 
her  to  a  better  future  than  her  friends  could  dream 
of  in  their  earthly  ambition. 

"  I  am  very  glad  I  made  this  visit,"  Lottie  said,  as 
they  were  hastening  home  lest  they  should  be  late  to 
dinner.  "  It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  take  me  so  far." 

He  turned  and  lifted  his  eye-brows  comically. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  To  hear  you,  one  would  think  that  I  had  been  a 
martyr  for  your  sake,  while,  in  truth,  I  never  enjoyed 
myself  more." 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  but  you  welcome  afflictions  and 
trials  of  your  patience.' 

"  Would  that  I  might  be  ever  thus  afflicted  !  "  he 
exclaimed  impulsively.  Then,  suddenly  becoming 
conscious  of  the  natural  suggestion  of  his  words,  he 
blushed  deeply ;  but  not  more  so  than  Lottie,  who 
turned  away  her  face  to  hide  her  flaming  cheeks.  Pie, 
misinterpreting  the  act,  thought  that  she  meant  a 
hint  that  such  remarks  were  not  agreeable,  and  was 
thinking  how  to  remedy  what  he  now  regarded  as  a 


342  FROM  JEST  -TO   EARNEST. 

very  foolish  speech,  when  she,  with  woman's  tact,  led 
the  conversation  to  unembarrassing  topics,  and  before 
they  were  aware  the  horse  stopped  at  Mrs.  March- 
mont's  door. 

Lottie  disarmed  both  suspicion  and  censure  to  a 
considerable  extent  by  saying,  "  I  had  promised  Mrs. 
Dlimm  to  come"  and  see  her  again,  and  wished  to 
keep  my  word.  I  knew  no  one  would  care  to  go 
there  save  Mr.  Hemstead,  so  I  took  him  to  see 
the  parson  while  I  visited  the  parson's  wife.  I  en 
joyed  my  call  very  much,  too ;  and  as  Mr.  Hemstead 
and  Mr.  Dlimm  had  a  great  argument  over  a  knotty 
theological  point,  I  suppose  he  feels  somewhat  repaid 
also." 

This  put  matters  in  quite  another  light.  That 
one  should  go  to  see  a  parson's  wife,  and  the  other  to 
discuss  theology  with  the  parson,  was  very  different 
from  stealing  off  for  an  indefinite  ride  with  the  pur 
pose  of  being  alone  together.  De  Forrest  was  quite 
comforted,  and  was  even  inclined  to  regard  Lottie  as 
rather  considerate  in  not  asking  him  to  accompany 
her  when  visiting  such  undesirable  people  as  the 
Dlimms.  Though  why  she  should  wish  to  visit  them 
herself  was  a  mystery.  But  then,  he  thought,  "  Lot 
tie  is  odd  and  full  of  queer  moods  and  whims.  Let 
her  indulge  them  now,  because,  as  my  wife,  they  will 
scarcely  be  the  thing." 

He  was  still  more  comforted  by  noting  that  she 
did  not  have  a  great  deal  to  say  to  Hemstead — indeed, 
that  she  rather  avoided  him. 

"  She  has  had  enough,  and  too  much,  of  his  heavy, 


A  RA  TIONALIST  OF  THE  OLD  SCPIOOL.         343 

stupid  company,"  he  thought,  "  and  finds  that  even 
the  carrying  out  of  the  practical  joke  is  too  hard 
work.  If  I  can  only  get  another  good  opportunity, 
I  won't  wait  till  she  goes  to  sleep  before  bringing  the 
question  to  an  issue." 

But  Lottie  give  him  no  opportunity,  and  while 
kind  and  gentle  toward  him,  adroitly  managed  that 
they  should  never  be  alone. 

And  Hemstead  also,  who  had  found  their  private 
tete-d-tetes  so  delightful  and  productive  of  good  re 
sults,  was  equally  unable  to  be  alone  with  her — not 
that  Lottie  was  averse,  but  because  she  saw  that 
lynx-eyed  Bel  was  watching  her ;  and  again  for  the 
hundreth  time  she  wished  her  cynical  friend  back  in 
the  city. 

Lottie's  manner  and  apparent  reserve  were  so 
marked  at  one  time,  that  Hemstead  began  to  grow 
troubled,  though  why  he  scarcely  knew.  There  was 
no  cause,  save  the  peculiar  sensitiveness  of  one  whose 
sunshine  is  beginning  to  come,  not  from  the  skies, 
but  the  changing  features  of  a  fellow  mortal. 

Lottie  quickly  saw  his  shadowed  face,  and  sur 
mised  the  cause.  Soon  after,  when  his  eyes  were 
questioningly  seeking  hers,  she  gave  him  such  a 
sunny  genial  smile  as  to  assure  him  that  whatever 
might  be  the  cause  of  her  somewhat  distant  manner, 
it  did  not  result  from  any  estrangement  from  him. 

Heretofore  when  Lottie  liked  a  gentleman,  she 
had  been  frank  in  showing  that  preference  within  the 
limits  of  lady-like  bearing.  But,  for  some  reason,  she 
began  to  grow  excessively  shy  in  manifesting  any 


344  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

interest  in  Hemstead  the  others  could  note.  The 
reason,  with  which  she  satisfied  herself,  but  partially 
explained  her  feeling. 

"  They  will  think  I  am  still  trying  to  carry  out 
my  wicked,  foolish  joke." 

But  she  did  long  for  another  unrestrained  talk 
with  him,  and  watched  keenly  to  secure  it  without 
exciting  remark.  De  Forrest  did  all  he  could  to  pre 
vent  this,  however,  and  Bel  unconsciously  became  his 
ally.  With  woman's  quick  perception,  she  saw  that 
Lottie  was  indulging  in  something  more  than  a 
"  mood,"  and  felt  that  it  was  a  duty  she  owed  to  her 
friend  to  prevent  mischief. 

Thus  Monday  and  Tuesday  passed  away,  Lottie 
being  too  circumspect  to  give  Bel  sufficient  cause  for 
speaking  plainly. 

Dan  and  Mr.  Dimmerly  were  the  only  ones  of 
the  household  who  regarded  the  change  in  Lottie 
with  unmixed  satisfaction.  Not  giving  a  thought 
to  the  cause,  they  were  pleased  with  the  gentleness 
an^l  attention  which  resulted. 

"  Lottie,"  said  her  brother  Dan,  as  she  kissed  him 
good-night,  after  telling  a  marvellously  good  story, 
"  what  has  come  over  you  ?  You  make  me  think  of 
Aunty  Jane." 

"  I  must  be  growing  good  indeed,  if  I  remind  any 
one  of  Auntie  Jane,"  thought  Lottie  exultantly. 


THE    TERROR   OF  A   GREAT  FEAR.  345 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE  TERROR  OF  A  GREAT  FEAR. 

T  ONG  before  Harcourt  reached  his  law-office,  he 
J — '  was  satisfied  that  he  had  blundered  foolishly, 
and  done  Miss  Martell  great  injustice.  Her  right  to 
refuse  his  unwelcome  love  was  most  perfect,  and 
her  manner  of  doing  so,  as  he  understood  her,  had 
been  most  delicate,  even  in  his  estimation.  At  the 
same  time  she  had  never  given  him  the  slightest 
ground  for  his  implied  aspersion  that  in  her  pure, 
Christian  life  she  shone  down  upon  him  with  the  cold 
distance  of  a  "  star." 

He  recalled  her  words  and  bearing  in  Mrs.  Byram's 
conservatory,  and  the  degree  in  which  his  unreason 
able  passion  had  blinded  him  grew  more  apparent. 

"  Why  should  I  expect  her  to  love  me  ? "  he 
asked  himself  in  bitterness.  "  It  is  a  hundred-fold 
more  than  I  deserve,  or  had  a  right  to  hope,  that 
she  should  put  out  her  hand  to  save  me." 

He  was  on  the  point  of  returning  twenty  times, 
and  asking  her  pardon  for  his  folly,  but  that  bane  of 
our  life — that  hindrance  to  more  good  and  happiness 
than  perhaps  any  other  one  cause — pride,  deterred, 
and  Monday  evening  passed,  an  unhappy  one  to  the 
object  of  his  thoughts  as  well  as  himself. 
15* 


346  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

On  Tuesday  pride  was  vanquished,  and  as  soon  as 
his  business  permitted  he  repaired  to  the  Martell 
mansion,  eager  to  ask  forgiveness.  To  his  deep  dis 
appointment,  he  learned  that  Mr.  Martell  and  his 
daughter  had  driven  up  town,  crossed  on  the  ferry 
boat,  and  were  paying  some  visits  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river. 

He  now  purposed  to  call  again  as  soon  as  they  re 
turned,  but  was  unexpectedly  detained  until  quite  late 
in  the  evening.  He  approached  the  familiar  place 
that  now  enshrined,  to  him,  the  jewel  of  the  world,  in 
both  a  humble  and  an  heroic  mood.  He  would  not 
presume  again,  but  in  silence  live  worthily  of  his  love 
for  one  so  lovely.  He  would  be  more  than  content — 
yes,  grateful — if  she  would  deign  to  help  him  climb 
toward  her  moral  height. 

As  he  stood  on  the  piazza,  after  ringing  the  door 
bell,  he  was  in  greater  trepidation  than  when  he  made 
his  first  plea  in  court,  and  was  so  intent  in  trying  to 
frame  his  thoughts  into  appropriate  language,  that  he 
did  not  note  for  the  moment  that  no  one  answered. 
Again  he  rang,  but  there  was  no  response.  There 
were  lights  in  the  house,  and  he  knocked  upon  the 
door  quite  loudly.  A  housemaid  soon  after  appeared, 
with  a  scared  and  anxious  face. 

u  Is  Miss  Martell  home  ?  "  he  asked,  a  sudden 
boding  of  evil  chilling  his  heart. 

"  Indade  an'  she  is  not.  Would  to  God  she 
was." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Faix,  an'  I'm  sure  I'm  glad  ye's  come,  Misther 


THE    TERROR  OF  A    GREA  T  FEAR.  347 

Harcourt.  The  coachman  is  down  at  the  shore,  and 
he'll  tell  ye  all." 

Harcourt  dashed  through  the  snow  and  shrub 
bery,  over  rocks  and  down  steeps  that  gave  him 
one  or  two  severe  falls,  that  he  might,  the  near 
est  way,  reach  Mr.  Kartell's  boat-house.  Here  he 
found  the  coachman  peering  out  upon  the  dark 
waters,  and  occasionally  uttering  a  hoarse,  feeble 
shout,  which  could  scarcely  be  heard  above  the  surf 
that  beat  with  increasing  heaviness  upon  the  icy 
beach. 

The  man  seemed  nearly  exhausted  with  cold  and 
anxiety,  and  was  overjoyed  at  seeing  Harcourt ;  but 
he  told  the  young  man  a  story  which  filled  him  with 
deepest  alarm.  It  was  to  this  effect : 

"  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell  had  been  delayed  in  leav 
ing  a  friend's  house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
until  it  was  too  late  to  reach  the  boat  on  which  it  was 
their  intention  to  cross.  They  were  prevailed  upon 
by  their  hospitable  host  to  send  their  sleigh  up  to  a 
later  boat,  while  they  remained  for  an  early  supper, 
and  then  should  cross  in  a  boat  rowed  by  an  experi 
enced  oarsman,  who  was  a  tenant  on  the  gentle 
man's  place. 

"  It  was  quite  a  bit  after  dark  when  I  got  back, 
but  Mr.  Martell  and  the  young  lady  hadn't  come  over 
yet.  I  first  thought  they  was  goin'  to  stay  all  night, 
and  that  I  should  go  arter  them  in  the  mornin'  ;  but 
the  woman  as  sews  says  how  she  was  sittin'  at  one  of 
the  upper  winders,  and  how  she  sees,  just  afore  night, 
a  light  push  out  from  t'other  side  and  come  straight 


348  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

across  for  a  long  while,  and  then  turn  and  go  down 
stream.  I'm  afeared  they've  got  caught  in  the  ice." 

"But  what  became  of  the  light? "asked  Har- 
court,  half  desperate  with  fear  and  anxiety. 

"  Well,  the  woman  as  sews  says  it  went  down  and 
down  as  long  as  she  could  see." 

A  faint  scream  from  the  house  now  arrested  their 
attention,  and  hastening  up  the  bank  they  heard  the 
servants  crying  from  the  upper  windows  of  the  man 
sion,  "  There  it  comes  !  there  it  comes  again." 

Harcourt  rushed  to  the  second  story  of  the  house. 
A  door  leading  into  an  apartment  facing  the  river  was 
open,  and  without  a  thought  he  entered  and  threw 
open  the  blinds.  Away  to  the  south,  where  the  river 
enters  the  Highlands,  he  saw  a  faint  light,  evidently 
that  of  the  lantern  carried  in  the  boat.  Familiar  with 
the  river,  the  whole  thing  flashed  upon  him.  In  the 
last  of  the  ebb  tide  their  boat  had  become  entangled 
in  the  ice,  but  had  been  carried  down  to  no  very 
great  distance.  Now  that  the  tide  had  turned,  it 
was  coming  back,  with  the  mass  of  ice  in  which  it 
had  become  wedged. 

And  could  that  faint  glimmer  indicate  the  pres 
ence  of  the  one  who  never  before  had  been  so  dear? 
Could  Miss  Martell,  the  child  of  luxury,  so  beautiful 
and  yet  so  frail  and  delicate,  be  out  in  the  darkness 
and  cold  of  this  winter  night,  perishing  perhaps,  with 
the  lights  of  this  her  elegant  home  full  in  view  ? 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  he  recognized  that  the 
room  he  was  in  must  be  Miss  Martell's  sleeping 
apartment.  Though  the  light  was  low  and  soft,  it 


THE    TERROR  OF  A    GREAT  FEAR.  349 

revealed  an  exquisite  casket,  in  keeping  with  the  jewel 
it  had  once,  but  might  no  more  enshrine.  On  every 
side  were  the  evidences  of  a  refined  but  Christian 
taste,  and  also  a  certain  dainty  beauty  that  seemed 
a  part  of  the  maiden  herself,  she  having  given  to  the 
room  something  of  her  own  individuality. 

It  would  be  hard  to  describe  Harcourt's  sensa 
tions  as  a  hasty  glance  revealed  the  character  of  the 
place.  He  felt  somewhat  as  a  devout  Greek  might, 
had  he  stumbled  into  the  sacred  grotto  of  his  most 
revered  goddess. 

But  this  thought  was  uppermost  in  his  mind. 
"  Here  is  where  she  should  be ;  yonder — terrible 
thought — is  where  she  is.  What  can  I  do?  " 

Again  he  dashed  back  to  the  shore,  calling  the 
coachman  to  follow  him.  When  the  man  reached 
the  water's  edge,  he  found  that  Harcourt  had  broken 
open  the  boat-house,  and  was  endeavoring  to  get  out 
the  boat. 

"  Ye'll  gain  nothing  there,  wid  that  big  boat," 
said  the  coachman.  "  The  master  has  been  away 
so  long  that  it's  all  out  o'  order.  The  water  can  get 
in  it  as  soon  as  yerself.  The  young  lady's  little 
scollop — the  one  as  is  called  Naughty  Tillus — is  sent 
away  for  the  winter." 

"  Stop  your  cursed  croaking,"  cried  Harcourt 
excitedly,  and  help  me  out  with  this  boat.  "  If  I 
can't  save  her,  I  can  at  least  drown  with  her." 

"  Divil  a  lift  will  I  give  ye.  It  will  do  the 
master  and  young  lady  no  good,  and  I'll  not  have 
your  drownding  on  my  conscience." 


350  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Harcourt  soon  found  that  he  could  not  manage 
the  large  boat  alone,  and  the  matches  he  struck  to 
guide  him,  revealed  that  the  man  spoke  truly,  and 
that  the  craft  was  in  no  condition  for  the  service 
he  proposed. 

"  Great  God,"  he  cried,  "  is  there  no  way  to  save 
her?" 

He  sprang  upon  the  boat-house,  and  there,  away 
to  the  south,  was  the  dim  light  coming  steadily  up 
the  stream.  The  moon  had  not  yet  risen,  the  sky 
was  overcast  with  wildly  flying  clouds  ;  the  wind  was 
rising,  and  would  drive  and  grind  the  ice  more  fiercely. 
It  was  just  the  night  for  a  tragedy,  and  he  felt  that 
if  he  saw  that  light  disappear  as  a  sign  that  the  boat 
had  been  crushed  and  its  occupants  swallowed  up  by 
the  wintry  tide,  the  saddest  tragedy  of  the  world 
would  have  taken  place. 

He  groaned  and  clenched  his  hands  in  his  impo 
tent  anguish. 

"  Oh  God,"  he  cried,  "  what  can  I  do  to  save 
her  ?  " 

He  clasped  his  throbbing  temples,  and  tried  to 
think.  It  soon  occurred  to  him  that  Mrs.  March- 
mont's  boat  might  be  in  better  condition.  Hemstead 
was  strong  and  brave,  and  would  assuredly  join  him 
in  the  effort  to  rescue  them.  Without  a  word  he 
rushed  up  the  bank,  sprang  into  his  cutter,  gave  his 
spirited  horse  a  cut  from  the  whip,  which  caused 
him  at  once  to  spring  into  a  mad  gallop,  and  so 
vanished  from  the  eyes  of  the  bewildered  and  terrified 


THE    TERROR  OF  A    GREAT  FEAR.  351 

servants,   who  were   left    alone   to   their   increasing 
fears. 

"  Save  her — save  her"  muttered  the  coachman, 
as  stiff  and  numb  with  cold  he  followed  Harcourt 
more  slowly  to  the  house.  "  It's  kind  o'  queer  how 
he  forgits  about  the  old  man." 


FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

A  TRUE  KNIGHT. 

AS  the  dusk  deepened  into  night  upon  this  mem 
orable  evening,  Hemstead  stood  at  the  parlor 
window,  and  looked  out  so  long  and  intently  that 
Lottie  joined  him  at  last,  and  asked : 

"  What  can  you  see  without,  and  in  the  darkness, 
so  much  more  attractive  than  anything  within  ?  " 

"  Do  you  see  that  faint  light  out  there  upon  the 
river?"  ' 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  I've  been  watching  it  for  some  time,  and 
it  troubles  me.  I  noticed  this  afternoon  that  there 
was  ice  coming  down  with  the  tide.  Is  it  possible 
that  some  one,  in  crossing  with  a  small  boat,  has 
been  caught  in  the  ice  and  carried  downward  ?  " 

"Why  should  you  think  that  ?  Nothing  is  more 
common  than  lights  upon  the  river  at  night." 

"  Yes,  but  not  of  late.  Since  the  last  severe  cold 
I  have  noticed  that  the  river  was  almost  deserted,  and 
the  papers  state  that  it  is  freezing  north  of  us.  But 
it  is  the  peculiarity  in  the  movement  of  the  light  that 
perplexes  me.  When  I  saw  it  first,  it  appeared  as  if 
coming  across  the  river.  Suddenly,  when  quite  over 
toward  this  side,  it  seemed  to  stop  a  moment,  then 
turn  directly  down  the  stream." 


A    TRUE  KNIGHT.  353 

"  Uncle,"  cried  Lottie,  "you  know  all  about  the 
the  river.  How  do  you  account  for  what  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  has  seen  ?  "  and  she  explained. 

"  Lights  are  very  deceptive  at  night,  especially 
upon  the  water,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly  sententiously. 
"  It's  probably  a  hardy  water-rat  of  a  boatman  drop 
ping  down  with  the  tide  to  a  point  opposite  to  where 
he  wishes  to  land." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it,  Mr.  Hemstead,  so  dismiss  your 
fears.  Your  brow  is  as  clouded  as  that  murky  sky 
there." 

"  That  comparison  is  quite  oriental  in  its  extrav 
agance,"  he  said,  his  anxious  face  relaxing  into  a 
sudden  smile.  "  But  then  you  are  a  bit  tropical 
yourself." 

"  Well,  you  can't  complain  if  I  remind  you  of  the 
tropics  this  dreary  winter  night ;  so  I'll  bear  out  your 
fanciful  conceit.  Your  face,  a  moment  since,  was  like 
a  burst  of  sunshine." 

"  Your  figure  now  is  incorrect  as  well  as  extrav 
agant,  for  whatever  light  my  face  has  it  is  but  the 
reflection  of  your  kindness." 

"  I  hope  you  do  not  mean  to  suggest  that  you 
have  any  tendency  toward  '  mooning '  ?  " 

"  '  Mooning  '  is  the  indulgence  of  sickly  sentiment, 
is  it  not— a  diluted  moonlight  kind  of  feeling?  " 

"  Very  well  defined.  Does  experience  give  you 
such  accuracy?  "  said  Lottie,  laughingly. 

"  I  can  honestly  say  No  ;  and  most  surely  not  in 
your  case." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  Lottie,  blushing  at  his 


354  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

earnestness.  "  I  should  be  sorry  to  think  that  cold, 
diluted  moonlight  was  the  type  of  any  of  my  friends' 
regard." 

"  You  may  rest  assured/'  he  replied  impulsively, 
"  there  is  nothing  '  cold  or  diluted  '  in  my  regard  for 
you — " 

"  There  is  the  supper-bell,"  interrupted  Lottie 
hastily. 

"  What  are  you  looking  at  ?  "  asked  De  Forrest, 
uneasily  noting  the  fact  of  their  standing  together 
within  the  shadowy  curtains.  He  had  just  descended 
from  the  toilet  which,  with  him,  was  a  necessity  be 
fore  each  meal. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead  has  seen  a  light  upon  the  river, 
and  bodes  from  it  some  vague  danger  to  some 
vague,  indefinite  people.  Come,  Mr.  Hemstead, 
come  away,  or  before  we  know  it  you  will  be  off  on 
the  Quixotic  attempt  to  rescue  what  uncle  calls  a 
*  hardy  water-rat,'  that  all  the  water  of  the  river  could 
not  drown." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  sneered  De.  Forrest ;  "  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  wishes  to  get  cheaply,  standing  here  within 
and  in  good  company,  the  credit  of  being  willing  to 
attempt  a  perilous  rescue." 

"  You  are  jumping  to  conclusions  very  rapidly, 
Julian,  and  not  very  charitable  ones  either,"  said 
Lottie  reproachfully. 

"  Come,  Mr.  De  Forrest,"  said  Hemstead  quietly, 
"  we  will  test  this  question  of  cheapness.  I  will  go 
with  you  to  investigate  that  light." 

"  Nonsense,"  replied    the    exquisite.     "  As  Miss 


A    TRUE  KNIGHT.  355 

Marsden  suggested,  Don  Quixote  may  be  your 
model  knight,  but  he  is  not  mine." 

"  Now  I  didn't  suggest  any  such  thing,"  said 
Lottie,  decidedly  vexed. 

"  Come,  young  people,  tea  is  waiting,"  called 
Mrs.  Mnrchmont. 

"  Well,  I  did,"  said  De  Forrest  to  Lottie,  aside  ; 
"  and  what's  more,  I  believe  it's  true,"  and  he  placed 
her  reluctant  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  drew  her  to 
the  supper-room. 

But  Hemstead  lingered  a  moment  to  watch  the 
light,  with  increasing  uneasiness.  In  his  silent  ab 
straction  at  the  table  it  was  evident  to  Lottie  that 
his  mind  was  dwelling  upon  the  problem  of  the  mys 
terious  glimmer  far  out  upon  the  river.  Before  the 
meal  was  over,  he  abruptly  excused  himself,  but 
soon  returned  as  if  relieved,  and  said  : 

•'  It  is  no  more  to  be  seen." 

"  I  told  you  how  it  was,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly. 
"  The  man  floated  down  as  far  as  he  wished,  and  now 
has  pulled  ashore." 

The  explanation  fully  satisfied  the  rest,  and 
sounded  plausibly  to  Hemstead  ;  and  the  evening 
promised  to  pass  quietly  and  uneventfully  away. 
Mrs.  Marchmont's  parlor  was  a  picture  of  cosey  ele 
gance.  Bel,  and  Addie  with. her  mother  and  uncle, 
made  a  game  of  whist  at  one  table  ;  while  Hemstead 
in  subdued  tones  read  the  latest  magazine  at  another. 
De  Forrest  was  half-dozing  in  his  chair,  for  the  article 
was  rather  beyond  him  ;  and  while  Lottie's  fair  face 
was. very  thoughtful,  it  might  be  questioned  whether 


356  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

the  thought  was  suggested  by  the  reader  or  by  what 
he  read.  But  the  article  was  finished,  and  for  the 
relief  of  change,  Hemstead  paced  the  room  a  few 
moments,  and  then  half-aimlessly  went  to  the  win 
dow  and  looked  out  toward  the  river.  His  abrupt 
exclamation  startled  them  all. 

"  There  is  that  light  again  !  " 

A  moment  later  he  stood,  bare-headed,  out  upon 
the  piazza.,  straining  his  eyes  out  into  the  darkness. 

"  I  feel  impressed  that  there  is  something  wrong — 
that  some  one  is  in  danger,"  he  said  to  Lottie,  who 
had  followed  him. 

"  You  will  take  cold  standing  here  without  your 
hat,"  she  said. 

"  So  will  you.  Where  is  your  hat  that  you  should 
talk  prudence  to  me?" 

But  the  others  were  more  thoughtful  of  them 
selves,  and  were  well  wrapped  and  protected  as  they 
now  also  came  out  upon  the  piazza. 

"  Well,  it  is  a  little  queer,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly. 

"  I  suppose  some  one  ought  to  go  and  see  what  it 
means,"  said  Bel,  hesitatingly.  "  But  then  there  are 
those  better  able  to  go  than  any-one  from  here." 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Hemstead. 

Far  and  faint  there  seemed  to  come  a  cry  for 
help  across  the  darkness. 

"  That  is  enough,"  he  cried  ;  "  some  one  is  in  dis 
tress  and  danger.  Come,  Mr.  De  Forrest.  The  case 
has  lost  all  its  Quixotic  elements,  and  you  may  now 
emulate  the  Chevalier  Bayard  himself." 

"  Oh,  please  don't  go,  gentlemen,"  cried  Lottie. 


A    TRUE  KNIGHT.  35/ 

See,  the  night  is  very  dark,  the  wind  is  rising  ;  the 
water  must  be  very  rough.  You  may  just  throw 
away  your  own  lives  in  the  vain  attempt  to  save 
utter  strangers." 

"  Miss  Marsden  is  correct,"  said  De  Forrest,  as  if 
greatly  relieved.  "  The  attempt  is  perfectly  fool 
hardy,  and  I  am  not  a  fool.  If  some  one  is  in  a  boat 
that  is  fast  in  the  ice,  he  has  only  a  few  more  miles 
to  drift,  before  coming  opposite  a  large  town,  where 
there  are  many  better  able  to  help  than  we  are." 

"  Hush  !  "  cried  Hemstead,  "  do  you  hear  that?" 

Faint  and  far  away,  as  a  response  to  De  Forrest's 
words,  came  again  more  clearly  the  cry  for  help. 

"  That  is  enough,"  again  said  Hemstead  excitedly  ; 
and  he  started  for  his  hat. 

Lottie  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  said  with 
seeming  earnestness : 

"  Surely,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  will  not  be  guilty 
of  the  folly  of  going  alone  upon  such  a  desperate 
attempt  as  this?  " 

"  I  surely  will ;  and  you  surprise  me  greatly  that 
you  seek  to  detain  me,"  he  said,  almost  sternly. 

"  But  you  alone  can  do  nothing." 

"  As  I  am  a  man  I  will  try.  Where  can  I  get  the 
key  of  the  boat-house  ?  " 

"If  the  young  gentleman  will  go,  I  will  go  with 
him,"  said  a  voice  from  the  darkness  beyond  the 
piazza,  and  which  they  recognized  as  that  of  Mrs. 
Marchmont's  coachman ;  "  I've  been  to  sea  in  my 
day,  and  am  not  afraid  of  a  little  water,  salt  or 
fresh." 


358  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

u  Good  for  you,  my  fine  fellow.  I'll  be  with  you 
at  once,"  cried  Hemstead. 

"  I've  got  the  key  of  the  boat-house,  a  lantern, 
and  an  axe  to  cut  the  ice,  so  you  have  only  to  put  on 
your  coat  and  hat." 

u  There,"  said  Hemstead  to  Lottie,  "  a  way  is 
provided  already.  How  could  you  wish  to  keep  me 
back  ?  "  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer  he  hastily 
seized  his  hat  and  coat  from  the  hall  rack. 

But  before  he  could  spring  down  the  piazza  steps 
she  again  stopped  him  a  moment,  as  she  said,  in  a 
low,  husky  tone  : 

"  I  did  not  wish  to  detain,  but  to  test  you.  I 
wish  you  to.  go.  I  am  proud  of  you,  though  my 
heart  trembles  at  your  peril.  But  you  shall  not  go 
till  you  are  protected  and  equipped.  See,  your  hands 
are  bare  ;  they  will  become  numb,  and  so,  useless. 
Where  are  your  gloves  ?  The  wind  will  carry  your 
hat  away.  Here,  you  shall  be  my  knight  upon  this 
occasion,  and  if  you  will,  may  wear  my  colors  ; " 
and  she  snatched  the  ribbon  from  her  hair,  and  tied 
his  hat  firmly  down. 

In  a  low,  thrilling  tone,  meant  only  for  her,  he 
said,  "  Now  you  are  the  Lottie  of  my  ideal ;  now 
you  are  yourself  again,  and  your  words  have  given 
me  tenfold  my  former  courage  and  strength.  Good- 
by,"  and  ere  she  was  aware,  he  had  seized  her  hand 
and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  it,  in  true,  old,  knightly 
style. 

"  God  bring  you  back  safely,"  she  said,  with  a 
quick  sob. 


A    TRUE  KNIGHT.  359 

Heaven  heard  the  prayer,  he  did  not — for  he 
was  off  with  a  bound ;  and  the  darkness  swallowed 
him  up  as  he  followed  the  stout-hearted  ex-sailor. 

Lottie  stood  where  he  left  her,  unconscious  that 
the  wintry  wind  was  blowing  her  unconfined  hair 
wildly  about. 

"  Miss  Lottie,"  said  De  Forrest,  approaching  her 
humbly. 

She  raised  her  hand  deprecatingly. 

"  Really,  Miss  Lottie,"  he  persisted,  "  I  would 
have  gone  if  you  had  wished  me  to." 

1  Hark  !  "  she  said,  in  a  low  tone.  "  Can  you 
hear  them?"v 

Lynx-eyed  Bel,  standing  unnoticed  in  the  shadow, 
had  witnessed  and  comprehended  the  scene  more 
fully  than  the  others,  and  speedily  brought  Lottie  to 
her  senses  by  whispering  in  her  ear  : 

"  Come,  don't  make  a  goose  of  yourself.  If  Mr. 
Hemstead  is  your  '  knight,'  he  has  not  gone  to  fight 
a  dragon,  but  to  row  a  boat,  and  rescue  a  fisherman 
in  all  probability.  Your  hair  is  down  and  blowing 
about  your  eyes,  and  you  look  like  a  guy  generally." 

Even  Lottie,  in  her  high-wrought  state,  was  not 
proof  against  such  bald  prose  as  this ;  and  she  turned 
and  hastened  to  her  room. 

Bel  followed,  proposing  now,  at  last,  to  open 
Lottie's  eyes  to  her  folly.  Her  first  words  of  wis 
dom  were,  as  Lottie,  with  wet  eyes,  stood  binding  up 
her  hair  : 

"  What  a  fool  you  are  beginning  to  make  of  your 
self  over  this  Western  student." 


360  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

11  Hush  !  "  said  Lottie,  imperiously. 

"  There  it  is  again.  You  haven't  been  yourself 
since  he  came.  If  your  mother  knew  what  was  go 
ing  on — " 

"  Bel,"  said  Lottie,  in  a  tone  that  quite  startled 
that  nervous  young  lady,  "  do  you  value  my  friend 
ship  at  all  ?  " 

11  Certainly ;  and  that  is  why  I  wish  to  prevent 
you  from  drifting  into  trouble ;  and  it's  not  right  for 
you  to  get  him  into — " 

Lottie's  warning  gesture  was  so  emphatic  that 
Bel  paused. 

"  Has  it  ever  occurred  to  you,"  Lottie  continued, 
in  -a  tone  that  Bel  never  heard  her  use  before,  "  that 
I  am  not  a  child,  and  that  you  are  not  my  natural 
guardian  ?  Not  another  word,  please,  about  Mr. 
Hemstead,  or  we  are  strangers ;  "  and  she  quietly  fin 
ished  her  toilet  and  left  the  room. 

She  had  hardly  reached  the  lower  hall  before 
there  was  a  furious  ring  at  the  door.  Before  it  could 
be  opened  Mr.  Harcourt  burst  in,  and  called  : 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 

At  the  first  sound  of  his  voice  Addie  rushed  out 
and  clung  to  his  arm,  crying  hysterically  : 

"  What  is  the  matter?" 

He  drew  back,  with  an  impatience  akin  to  disgust, 
and  repeated  his  question  : 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  Why  don't  some  one 
speak?" 

"  Mr.  Harcourt,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont,  in  offended 


A    TRUE  KNIGHT.  361 

dignity,  "  I  think  you  might,  at  least,  have  answered 
Addie's  question  and  told  us  what  the  trouble  is." 

"  Trouble  enough,  God  knows.  Mr.  and  Miss 
Martell  have  been  caught  in  the  ice,  out  in  an  open 
boat,  for  hours.  Do  you  see  that  light  there  ?  Good 
heavens !  there  is  another  light  shooting  out  toward 
it-2-" 

"  Yes,"  cried  Lottie,  in  a  sudden  ecstasy  of  de 
light,  "  there  goes  my  brave,  true  knight  to  the  res 
cue,  and  he  will  save  them,  too ;  see  how  he  gains 
upon  them.  That  is  Mr.  Hemstead's  voice.  I  know 
it  well.  He  is  shouting  encouragement  to  them. 
Hear  the  feeble  answering  cry." 

"  That's  a  woman's  voice,"  Harcourt  cried,  after 
listening  a  moment  as  if  his  life  depended  on  what 
he  heard.  "  Thank  God,  she  has  not  perished  with 
cold  ;  "  and  he  dashed  away  toward  the  river  bank. 

Addie  and  her  mother  looked  at  each  other. 
They  too,  as  the  coachman,  had  been  struck  with 
Mr.  Harcourt's  choice  of  pronouns. 

But  the  prudent  lady  did  not  forget  herself  or  her 
duty  a  moment.  She  made  them  all  come  in  from 
the  bleak  piazza,  and  had  the  light  turned  down 
in  the  parlor,  so  that  they  could  see  through  the 
window  just  as  well — a  more  comfortable  point  of 
observation. 

But  De  Forrest  quite  ostentatiously  muffled  him 
self  up  to  his  eyes  that  he  might  go  down  and  "  help." 

Approaching   timidly,  he  said 'to  Lottie  as  she 
stood  at  the  window : 
16 


362  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"Can  you  not  take  another  knight  into  your 
service  this  evening  ?  " 

"  O  yes,  Julian,"  she  replied  good  naturedly,  "  a 
regiment  in  so  good  a  cause  as  this.  Hasten  to  the 
shore.  You  may  be  of  some  possible  help  ; "  and 
with  a  gesture  of  dismission,  she  turned  again  to 
her  watch. 

De  Forrest  slowly  departed,  feeling  that  this  was 
a  very  different  farewell  from  that  bestowed  on  Hem- 
stead,  of  which  he  had  caught  an  aggravating  glimpse. 

While  the  others  were  eagerly  talking  and  surmis 
ing,  and  the  servants  bustling  about,  preparing  for 
those  who  would  soon  be  brought  in,  chilled  and  wet 
with  spray,  Lottie  stood  at  her  post  motionless, 
oblivious  of  all  around,  and  as  intent  upon  Hem- 
stead's  light  as  if  she  were  to  be  rescued  instead  of 
Miss  Martell. 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  363 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ON  A  CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE 

THE  plan  suggested  by  their  host,  of  sending 
their  sleigh  home  by  the  ferry,  while  they 
crossed  in  a  boat,  just  suited  Miss  Martell,  and  she 
proposed  having  a  good  vigorous  pull  at  the  oars 
herself.  She  had  always  been  fond  of  out-of-door 
sports,  a  taste  which  her  father  had  judiciously 
encouraged  ;  and  thus  had  saved  her,  no  doubt,  from 
the  life  of  an  invalid,  for  she  had  inherited  the  delicacy 
of  a  feeble  mother,  who  years  before,  in  spite  of  all 
that  wealth  could  do  to  prevent  it,  had  passed  away. 

Just  at  this  time  Miss  Martell  was  waging  that 
pathetic  war  with  her  own  heart  which  so  many 
women  must  fight  out  in  silence,  and  she  welcomed 
eagerly  any  distraction  of  thought — anything  that 
would  so  weary  the  body  that  the  mind  could  rest. 
She  dreaded  the  long,  monotonous  ride  home,  and 
so  warmly  seconded  the  new  plan,  that  her  father 
yielded,  though  somewhat  against  his  judgment. 

Through  the  little  delays  of  a  hospitality  more 
cordial  than  kind,  they  were  kept  until  the  early 
December  twilight  was  deepening  into  dusk.  But 
the  oarsman  lighted  his  lantern,  and  was  confident 
that  he  could  put  them  across  most  speedily.  The 


364  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

boat  was  stanch  and  well  built,  and  they  started 
with  scarcely  a  misgiving,  Miss  Martell  taking  an 
oar  with  much  zest.  Their  friends  waved  them  off 
with  numberless  good  wishes,  and  then  from  their 
windows  watched  till  the  boat  seemed  quite  across, 
before  drawing  the  curtains  and  concluding  that  all 
was  well. 

At  first  they  did  not  meet  much  ice,  and  every 
thing  promised  a  safe  and  speedy  passage,  but,  when 
well  past  the  jniddle  of  the  river,  two  dark  masses 
were  seen  just  before  them.  There  appeared  to  be 
a  wide  opening  between  them,  through  which  they 
could  see  the  water  ripple. 

"  I  think  we  can  shoot  through,"  said  the  oars 
man,  standing  up  a  moment;  "perhaps  it  will  be  the 
safest  course,  for  we  don't  know  what's  above." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Martell,  "  I  will  steer  you 
as  well  as  I  can.  Pull  strongly  till  we  are  again  in 
clear  water." 

Miss  Martell  bent  her  supple  form  to  the  oar, 
and  her  strokes  counted  as  well  as  those  of  the 
strong,  practised  man,  and  the  boat  sped,  all  too 
quickly,  into  what  afterward  seemed  the  very  jaws 
of  destruction. 

The  opening  narrowed  instead  of  widening.  The 
ice  above,  for  some  reason,  appeared  to  gain  on  that 
below. 

In  growing  alarm,  Mr.  Martell  saw  that  they 
were  becoming  shut  in,  and  pointed  out  the  fact  to 
the  oarsman. 

"  Shall  we  turn  around  ?  "  he  asked,  excitedly. 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  365 

The  man  stood  up  again,  and  instantly  decided. 

"  No,  we  have  not  time,  the  tide  is  running  very 
swiftly.  The  ice  would  close  on  us  before  we  could 
get  around.  Our  best  chance  is  to  push  through.  I 
can  see  water  beyond."  They  bent  to  their  oars 
again  with  the  energy  which  danger  inspires. 

But  there  was  not  time.  The  opening  closed 
too  rapidly,  suddenly  the  bow  struck  the  upper 
cake,  and  being  well  out  of  the  water  ran  up  on 
the  ice,  causing  the  boat  to  take  in  water  at  the 
stern.  For  a  second  it  seemed  that  they  would  be 
overturned  and  drowned  at  once. 

But  just  at  this  moment  the  upper  cake  struck 
the  lower  ice,  and  the  boat,  being  well  up  on  the 
first  cake,  was  not  crushed  between  the  two  masses, 
as  would  have  been  the  case  had  the  ice  closed 
against  its  sides  while  they  were  deep  in  the  water. 
For  a  moment  they  were  saved,  while  the  upper  and 
lower  floes  crunched  and  ground  together  under 
the  keel,  lifting  the  light  craft  still  further  above  the 
tide  and  throwing  it  over  on  one  side.  Without  a 
second's  pause,  the  now  consolidated  field  of  ice 
swept  downward,  carrying  with  it  the  wedged  and 
stranded  skiff. 

The  lantern 'gleamed  on  the  pale  faces  of  those 
who  realized  that  they  had  just  passed  through  a 
moment  of  supreme  peril,  and  perhaps  had  before 
them  as  great  if  not  equally  imminent  dangers. 

The  oarsman  hastily  examined  the  boat,  and 
found  that  it  had  been  injured,  though  to  what 
extent  he  could  not  tell.  Water  was  oozing  in 


366  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

slowly  from  some  point  near  the  keel,  but  they  were 
too  high  out  of  the  water  to  know  whether  more 
dangerous  leaks  had  been  made.  They  tried  to 
break  their  way  out,  but  found  that  the  two  cakes 
had  become  so  joined  together  as  to  form  a  solid 
mass,  upon  which  they  could  make  no  impression. 

They  called  aloud  for  help,  and  Miss  Kartell's 
plaintive  cry  was  blended  again  and  again  with  the 
hoarse,  strong  shoutings  of  the  men.  But  the  river 
was  wide ;  the  tide  swept  them  out  toward  its 
centre,  and  then  nearer  the  less  peopled  eastern 
shore.  The  evening  was  cold  and  bleak,  and  few 
were  out,  and  they  so  intent  upon  reaching  warm 
firesides  that  they  never  thought  of  scanning  the  dark 
waste  of  the  river  ;  and  so,  to  all  their  cries  for  aid 
there  was  no  response,  save  the  gurgling  water,  that 
sounded  so  coldly  as  to  chill  their  hearts,  and  the 
crunching  of  the  ice  as  the  rushing  tide  carried  them 
downward,  and  away  from  the  gleaming  lights  of 
their  own  loved  home — downward  and  past  the 
lights  from  Mrs.  Marchmont's  mansion,  where,  even 
in  her  peril,  poor  Alice  Martell  could  picture  Har- 
court  at  Addie's  side,  and  she  forgotten.  As  the 
imagined  scene  rose  vividly  before  her,  the  wild 
thought  passed  through  her  mind. 

"  Since  it  must  be  so,  perhaps  I  can  find  more 
rest  beneath  these  waters  than  in  my  home  yonder. 
It  may  be  for  the  best,  after  all,  and  God  designs 
mercy  in  what  at  first  seemed  so  terrible." 

As  people  saw  Miss  Martell's  quiet  and  rather 
distant  bearing  in  society,  as  many  admired  her 


ON-  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  367 

chiselled  and  faultlessly  refined  features,  they  little 
imagined  that,  as  within  snowy  mountains  are 
volcanic  fires,  so  within  her  breast  was  kindling  as 
passionate  a  love  as  ever  illumined  a  woman's  life 
with  happiness,  or  consumed  it  with  a  smouldering 
flame. 

But  death  is  stern  and  uncompromising,  and 
snatches  away  all  disguises — even  those  which  hide 
us  from  ourselves.  In  bitterness  of  heart  the  poor 
girl  learned,  while  darker  than  the  night  the  shadow 
of  death  hovered  over  her,  how  intense  was  her  love 
for  one  that  she  believed  loved  another.  If,  but  a 
hand's  breadth  away,  beneath  the  rushing  tide, 
there  was  a  remedy  for  the  pain  at  her  heart,  why 
need  she  fear? 

"  My  child,"  said  a  tremulous  voice. 

Then,  with  a  natural  and  remorseful  rush  of  love 
for  one  who  had  been  as  tender  toward  her  as 
a  mother  since  that  mother  commended  her  to  his 
care,  she  put  her  arms  around  him  and  whispered  : 

"  I  am  not  afraid,  father.  Mother  and  heaven 
may  be  nearer  than  we  think." 

"  Thank  God,  my  child,  thank  God  you  are  not 
afraid.  I  was  trembling  for  you — not  myself.  You 
are  young,  and  I  trusted  that  there  was  a  happy  life 
before  you.  But  the  home  where  mother  is  prom 
ises  me  far  more  than  the  one  yonder,  whose  lights 
are  growing  so  faint.'' 

"  I  am  not  afraid,  dear  father.  I  am  content,  if 
it's  God's  will,  to  go  to  that  better  home  and  be  with 
you  and  mother.'5 


368  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  God  bless  thee,  my  child  ;  and  blessed  be  the 
God  of  mercy  who  has  given  you  so  true  a  faith. 
It  would  be  terrible  to  me  beyond  words,  if  now  you 
were  full  of  hopeless  dread." 

But  the  poor  oarsman  had  no  such  faith — only  the 
memory  of  his  dependent  wife  and  children,  and  his 
material  life,  which  never  before  had  seemed  so 
sweet  and  precious.  He  kept  shouting  for  aid  until 
exhausted,  and  then  despairingly  sat  down  to  await 
the  result. 

Mr.  Martell,  in  the  true  Christian  spirit,  sought  to 
impart  to  his  humble  companion  in  peril  some  of 
his  own  confidence  in  God's  mercy  and  goodness; 
but  in  vain.  An  intelligent,  sustaining  faith  cannot 
be  snatched  like  a  life-preserver  in  the  moment  of 
danger  ;  and  the  man  appeared  to  scarcely  heed 
what  he  said. 

Downward  and  past  the  twinkling  lights  of  many 
comfortable  homes  the  remorseless  tide  still  swept 
them,  until  the  huge  outlines  of  the  two  mountains 
at  the  portal  of  the  Highlands  loomed  out  of  the 
darkness. 

"  If  we  get  down  among  the  mountains,  we  might 
as  well  give  up,"  said  the  oarsman  sullenly.  "  We 
might  as  well  be  cast  away  at  sea  as  down  in  that 
wild  gorge ;  though  for  that  matter  it  seems,  to-night, 
as  if  one's  neighbors  wouldn't  step  out  of  doors  to  keep 
a  body  from  drowning.  Why  no  one  has  heard  us  is 
more  than  I  can  understand,  unless  it  is  accordin'  to 
the  old  sayin,'  *  None's  so  deaf  as  them  as  won't  hear.'  " 

But  there  was  nothing  strange  in  the  fact  that 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  369 

they  had  been  unnoted.  The  north  wind  blew  their 
voices  down  the  river.  There  was  a  noisy  surf  upon 
the  shore,  and  those  who  chanced  to  see  the  light 
supposed  it  to  come  from  some  craft  hastening  to  its 
winter  quarters  near  the  city.  So  fate  seemed  against 
them,  and  they  drifted  down  and  down  until  the 
black  shadow  of  "  Storm  King  "  swallowed  them  up. 

But  now  they  became  conscious  that  their  motion 
was  growing  less  steady  and  rapid.  A  little  later  and 
the  floe  apparently  paused  in  its  downward  progress, 
and  there  was  only  some  slight  movement  caused  by 
the  increasing  gale. 

Then  came  what  seemed  interminable  hours  of 
weary  waiting  under  the  sombre  shadow  of  "  Cro' 
Nest '  mountain.  The  strange  and  almost  irresistible 
drowsiness  that  severe  cold  induces  began  to  creep 
over  Miss  Martell,  but  her  father  pleaded  with  her  to 
to  fight  against  it ;  and,  more  for  his  sake  than  her  own, 
she  tried.  They  each  took  turns  in  endeavoring  to 
break  the  ice  around  them  with  the  boat-hook.  The 
exercise  kept  their  blood  in  circulation,  but  was  of 
little  avail  in  other  respects.  The  ice  was  too  heavy 
and  solid  for  their  feeble  strokes. 

At  last  the  tide  turned,  and  the  dreary  monot 
onous  waiting  in  their  hopeless  position  was  ex 
changed  for  an  upward  movement  that  would  soon 
bring  them  above  the  mountains  again,  where,  from 
the  thickly  peopled  shores,  there  would  be  a  better 
chance  of  being  seen  and  rescued. 

There  was  no  certainty  that  they  would  be  missed, 
and  therefore  sought  for,  as  the  coachman,  not  find- 
16* 


37°  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ing  them  on  his  return,  might  conclude  that  they  had 
been  prevailed,  upon  to  remain  all  night  with  the 
friend  they  were  visiting. 

But  any  exchange  from  the  black,  rayless  shadows 
that  surrounded  them  would  be  a  relief;  and  it  was 
with  a  faint  feeling  of  hopefulness  that  they  recog 
nized  their  movement  northward,  which  slowly  in 
creased  in  speed  as  the  tide  gained  mastery  of  the 
slight  natural  current  of  the  river. 

The  strengthening  northern  gale  had  thrown  up 
quite  a  "  sea,"  and  the  experienced  oarsman  soon 
saw  that  the  ice-field  by  which  they  were  surrounded 
was  breaking  up  under  the  influence  of  the  waves. 
This  might  at  last  bring  relief,  or  increase  their 
danger.  If  the  ice  should  all  break  up  around  them 
and  leave  their  boat  tight  and  sound,  they  could  row 
ashore.  If  the  boat  had  been,  or  should  become  so 
injured  as  to  leak  badly,  it  might  fill  with  water 
before  they  could  reach  land.  Thus,  in  any  case, 
their  peculiar  position  was  aggravated  by  a  terrible 
uncertainty  and  suspense. 

As  they  emerged  from  the  Highlands  into  the 
broad  waters  of  Newburgh  Bay,  their  worst  fears 
seemed  about  to  be  realized.  Here,  for  many  miles,  the 
north  wind  had  an  unrestrained  sweep,  and  the  waves 
grew  larger  and  more  violent.  Under  their  increasing 
force  the  ice-floe  crumbled  around  them  rapidly,  until 
at  last  little  was  left  save  the  mass  of  double  thick 
ness  caused  by  the  union  of  the  two  large  cakes  be 
tween  which  the  boat  had  been  caught.  This,  at 
last,  began  to  give  under  the  weight  of  the  boat,  and 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  3/1 

let  it  more  deeply  into  the  water.  Then,  to  their 
dismay,  they  saw  that  the  seams  of  the  boat  had  been 
so  wrenched  apart  that  the  water  came  in  rapidly. 

They  tried  to  keep  it  down  by  baling.  The 
frosty  gale  tossed  Mr.  Martell's  white  hair,  while 
with  his  hat  he  worked,  with  pathetic  earnestness,  for 
the  sake  of  his  daughter;  but  in  spite  of  all  that  he 
and  the  oarsman  could  do,  the  water  gained  on  them, 
wetting  their  feet  and  creeping  up  their  legs  with  the 
icy  chill  of  death. 

Every  moment  or  two  the  man  would  pause  in 
his  work,  and  send  forth  a  cry  of  such  terrible  power 
and  earnestness,  that  it  would  seem  some  one  must 
hear. 

Again  Alice  Martell  saw  the  distant  lights  of  her 
own  home,  but  she  turned  from  them  to  those  that 
that  gleamed  from  the  nearer  residence  of  Mrs. 
Marchmont.  Was  he  there,  safe  and  happy,  looking 
love  into  the  eyes  of  Addie  Marchmont,  while  every 
moment  she  sank  lower  into  the  cold  river  ?  The 
thought  sent  a  deeper  chill  to  her  heart  than  the  icy 
tide  from  which  she  could  no  longer  keep  her  feet. 

"  God  and  man  is  agin  us,"  said  the  oarsman 
savagely.  "  What  is  the  use  of  trying  any  longer ! 
The  sooner  it's  over  the  better ;  "  and  he  was  about  to 
give  up  in  despair.  Alice,  with  equal  hopelessness  of 
any  earthly  aid,  was  about  to  turn  her  eyes  from  the 
faint  rays  from  Mrs.  Marchmont's  windows,  which, 
barbed  with  the  thoughts  suggested  above,  pierced 
her  heart  like  arrows,  when  the  throwing  open  of  the 
hall  door  by  Hemstead  let  out  such  a  broad  stream- 


3/2  FROM   JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

ing  radiance  that  her  attention  was  attracted  to  it. 
By  calling  the  attention  of  the  others  to  it  also,  a 
faint  hope  was  inspired. 

But  when,  soon  after,  the  door  was  closed,  and  the 
lights  had  their  usual  appearance,  the  flicker  of  hope 
sank  down  into  a  deeper  darkness. 

Alice  turned  to  her  father,  and  in  close  embrace 
and  with  a  oneness  of  spirit  and  hope  that  needed 
not  outward  expression,  they  silently  lifted  their 
thoughts  from  the  dark  earth  to  the  bright  heaven 
where  they  soon  expected  to  be. 

Just  then  a  voice  from  earth  .recalled  them  to 
earthly  hope,  and  the  prospect  of  human  help.  It 
was  Hemstead's  shout  of  encouragement  from  the 
shore.  Then  they  saw  the  glimmer  of  a  lantern 
moving  hither  and  thither  ;  a  moment  later  it  became 
stationary,  then  shot  out  toward  them. 

With  cries  of  joy  they  recognized  that  they  had 
been  seen,  and  that  an  attempt  to  rescue  them  was 
being  made. 

In  the  apathy  of  their  despair  the  water  had 
gained  dangerously ;  but,  with  the  energy  of  hope  that 
is  ever  greater  than  that  of  fear  or  despair,  they  set 
to  work  anew.  Again  the  wintry  winds  tossed  Mr. 
Kartell's  white  hair,  as  for  want  of  something  bet 
ter  he  baled  with  his  hat,  and  Alice's  little  numb 
hands  were  lifted  every  moment  as  if  in  pathetic 
appeal,  as  she  dipped  them  in  the  ice-cold  water  at 
her  feet,  and  threw  out  a  tiny  cupful,  which  the  gale 
carried  away  in  spray. 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  373 

"  Come  quick.  We  can't  keep  afloat  much 
longer,"  cried  the  oarsman. 

"Ay,  ay,"  shouted  the  ex-sailor,  in  a  .voice  as 
hoarse  as  the  winds  in  the  cordage  of  his  old  ship. 

"  Courage !  "  cried  Hemstead  ;  and  his  tones,  in 
contrast,  rang  out  like  a  bugle,  inspiring  hope  in  the 
chilled  hearts  of  those  who,  a  little  before,  had  de 
spaired,  and  also  sending  an  almost  equal  thrill  of 
delight  to  the  heart  of  Lottie  Marsden,  as,  with  the 
half-phrensied  Harcourt,  she  stood  in  Mrs.  March- 
mont's  open  door. 

How  terribly  in  earnest  now  are  some  who 
thought  that  their  acquaintance  would  commence  and 
end  with  a  heartless  jest ! 

The  sailor-coachman  was  a  good  oarsman,  and 
Hemstead  pulled  fairly.  Both  were  very  strong,  and 
they  drove  the  boat  through  the  short  chopping 
waves  rather  than  over  them,  reckoning  not  how 
much  water  was  shipped. 

A  little  later  came  the  shout,  "  Quick,  quick. 
The  ice  is  giving  under  us,  and  the  boat  sinking." 

"  Oh,  come — save  my  father,"  cried  Alice  Martell, 
in  a  tone  that  might  have  moved  the  very  ice  around 
her  to  pity. 

"  My  child,  my  child  !  "  came  the  agonized  voice 
of  the  father ;  "  never  think  of  me,  if  you  can  save 
her." 

Thus  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  parent  and  child 
revealed,  clear  and  luminous,  the  image  of  God  upon 
their  souls — the  image  of  Him  who  thought  not  of 
Himself — who  sought  not  to  save  Himself  but  others. 


374  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Unselfish  love  inspired  their  appeals,  and  unself 
ish  love  is  God. 

Hemstead's  nature  was  anthracite,  and  now 
glowed  at  white  heat  in  his  grand  excitement.  He 
was  no  longer  a  man,  but  a  giant,  and  would  have 
ruined  everything,  snapped  his  oars,  dragged  the  oar- 
pins  from  their  sockets,  thus  rendering  his  massive 
strength  utterly  useless,  had  not  the  cool,  wary  ex- 
sailor  taken  command  of  the  little  craft,  and  insisted 
on  seamanship.  Under  his  skilful  direction  the 
student  was  like  a  powerful  engine,  with  a  steady, 
measured  stroke,  and  the  boat  fairly  flew,  until  their 
oars  struck  floating  ice,  and  then  they  had  to  slacken 
up,  for  to  strike  a  mass  of  ice  at  their  speed  would  be 
to  sink  at  once. 

"  Steady  now,"  cried  the  ex-sailor.  "  You  pull, 
I  will  stand  and  steer." 

Their  boat  was  roughly  grazed  several  times, 
but  glided  through  without  serious  injury. 

"  Now  or  never,"  cried  the  oarsman ;  "  we're 
sinking." 

Alice  hid  her  face  on  her  father's  breast.  Life 
had  grown  strangely  sweet  during  the  brief  time 
since,  at  Hemstead's  voice,  hope  had  revived  ;  and 
it  seemed  a  bitter  thing  to  perish  almost  within  the 
grasp  of  rescuing  hands. 

"  Oh  come,"  groaned  her  father.  "  Great  God, 
this  is  hard." 

With  a  despairing  cry  she  heard  the  water  rush 
and  gurgle  around  her,  and  closed  her  eyes,  not 
expecting  to  open  them  again  in  this  world.  But 


ON  A    CRUMBLING  ICE-FLOE.  3/5 

strong    hands   grasped,    and    lifted    her   drenched, 
helpless  form  tenderly  into  the  boat. 

With  mingled  hope  and  fear  she  looked  up,  and 
by  the  lantern's  light  recognized  Frank  Hemstead. 

"  My  father,"  she  gasped. 

"  Safe,  my  darling,  thank  God,"  said  Mr.  Martell, 
taking  her  into  his  arms  ;  "  and  they  have  pulled  our 
stout  oarsman  in,  too.  So  we  are  all  safe." 

"  Well,  I  hope  so,"  said  the  ex-sailor,  with  a  little 
depressive  dubiousness.  "  We  shipped  a  sight  o'  wa 
ter  comin'  out.  There's  good  deal  of  ice  runnin',  and 
so  chopped  up  one  can  skerce  see  it.  I  must  be  skip 
per  and  all,  mind,  if  we  are  to  come  safe  out.  Here, 
Mr.  Hemstead,  you  bale  ;  and  you,  too,  messmate,  if 
yer  hain't  shipped  too  much  water  yerself.  I'll  sit  well 
up  toward  the  bow,  where  I  can  see  and  pull  around 
the  ice.  Besides,  with  this  cargo,  we've  got  to  cross  the 
waves  kind  o'  easy  and  keerful,  or  they'll  swamp  us." 

Thus  in  this  instance  the  ex-sailor  appeared  a 
special  providence,  and  gradually  took  them  out  of 
the  ice-strewn  tide  in  the  centre  of  the  river  to 
smoother,  clearer  water  nearer  the  shore.  Soon 
after,  drenched  and  half-frozen,  they  reached  Mrs. 
Marchmont's  boat-house. 

Miss  Martell's  powers  of  endurance  were  nearly 
exhausted  ;  and  when  the  lantern,  held  aloft,  re 
vealed  Harcourt's  pale  face,  when  she  knew  that  it 
was  his  arms  that  received  her  in  her  helplessness, 
and  she  heard  him  murmur,  "  I  now  believe  that  there 
is  a  good  and  merciful  God,  and  I  thank  Him,''  in  the 
strong  reaction  of  feeling  she  became  unconscious. 


3/6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   MEETING  AND   GREETING. 

MR.  MARTELL'S  garments  were  frozen  upon 
him,  and  he  was  so  stiff  and  numb  with  cold, 
that  with  difficulty  he  made  his  way  up  the  bank 
with  the  support  of  De  Forrest  and  the  gallant 
coachman,  who  had  suddenly  blossomed  out  into 
quite  a  hero.  Harcourt  and  Hemstead  formed 
with  their  hands  what  is  termed  a  "  chair,"  and  bore 
the  apparently  lifeless  form  of  Miss  Martell  swiftly 
toward  Mrs.  Marchmont's  residence.  The  poor 
oarsman  was  so  glad  to  be  on  solid  ground  once 
more  that  he  was  able  to  hobble  along  at  a  good 
pace  by  himself. 

The  wind  again  played  mad  pranks  with  Lottie's 
hair  as  she  at  last  stood  impatiently  on  the  piazza, 
and  then  dashed  off  through  the  snow  to  meet  them. 

"  Oh,  thank  God,  you  are  safely  back.  He  has 
heard  my  prayer.  But  Miss  Martell — she,  is  not — 
she  is  not — " 

"  Don't  suggest  such  a  thing,"  groaned  Har 
court.  "  Of  course  she  has  only  fainted." 

Hemstead  could  not  speak,  even  to  Lottie.  With 
white  face  and  set  teeth  he  sought  to  keep  up  to 
the  end.  The  effort  he  was  now  putting  forth  was 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  377 

less  that  of  muscle  than  the  sheer  force  of  will.  As 
with  Miss  Martell,  he,  too,  was  reacting  from  the  • 
tremendous  strain  that  the  last  hour  had  brought. 
He  trembled  with  almost  mortal  weakness  as  he 
slowly  mounted  the  piazza,  steps.  He  staggered 
under  his  share  of  their  burden  as  he  crossed  the 
hall.  Lottie,  puzzled  by  his  silence,  now  saw  his 
deathly  pallor  with  alarm,  and  instinctively  stood 
at  his  side. 

"  You  had  better  take  Miss  Martell  directly  to 
her  room,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont. 

"  In  here,  quick,"  gasped  Hemstead ;  he  tot 
tered  to  the  n-earest  sofa,  and,  a  second  later,  lay 
unconscious  at  Miss  MarteH's  feet. 

At  this  moment  Alice  again  became  conscious. 
Hemstead's  condition  did  more  to  revive  her  than 
all  restoratives;  for,  woman-like,  she  thought  of 
him  more  than  herself.  She  sat  up  and  exclaimed 
faintly : 

"  Oh,  can't  something  be  done  for  him  ?  Quick. 
It  looks  as  if  he  had  given  his  life  for  us ;  "  and  she 
looked  around,  not  far  enough  to  see  the  expres 
sion  of  Harcourt's  face  as  he  welcomed  her  back  to 
consciousness,  but  only  to  see  Addie  clinging  to 
his  arm,  repeatedly  asking  to  be  assured  that  he  was 
not  hurt. 

"  Thank  heaven  you  are  safe,"  he  bent  down  and 
whispered. 

"  Don't  think  of  me.     Look  at  Mr.  Hemstead." 

Again  he  misunderstood  her,  and  with  bitterness 
thought,  "After  all  my  anguish  on  her  account,  she 


3/8  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

gives  me  not  even  a  thought,  and  her  first  words  are, 
'  Don't  think  of  me ' ;  "  and  he  felt  that  fate  had  been 
very  cruel  in  sending  Hemstead  to  her  rescue  in 
stead  of  himself. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  now  appeared  upon  the  con 
fused  scene,  and  proved  that  she  was  equal  to  the 
occasion.  It  was  a  sad  pity  that  she  had  not  im 
parted  to  her  daughter  a  little  of  her  own  capability. 
She  bade  De  Forrest,  and  the  still  stout  and  hearty 
ex-sailor,  carry  Hemstead  at  once  to  his  room,  while 
she  and  one  of  the  maids  assisted  Miss  Martell  to 
hers.  No  opportunity  whatever  was  given  for  any 
romantic  and  affecting  scenes. 

Lottie  had  stood  for  a  second  in  dismay,  after 
seeing  her  "  true  knight  "  sink  on  the  floor,  and  then, 
like  a  sensible  girl,  instead  of  going  off  into  hysterics, 
went  like  a  flash  to  her  aunt's  wine  closet  for 
brandy.  But  before  she  could  find  it,  Mrs.  March 
mont  had  caused  both  the  rescued  and  the  rescuer 
to  be  conveyed  to  the  privacy  of  their  own  rooms, 
where  they  could  at  once  receive  the  prosaic  treat 
ment  that  their  condition  required. 

The  room  which  a  moment  before  had  presented 
a  scene  which  she  would  never  forget,  was  empty, 
Harcourt  having  gone  for  a  physician. 

She  met  Mr.  Dimmerly  on  the  stairs,  who  took 
the  brandy  from  her,  saying  : 

"  That's  sensible.  We'll  rub  him  down  with  it, 
inside  and  out,  and  he'll  be  all  right  in  the  morning. 
Now  you  see  how  blood  tells.  Making  a  parson  of 
him  can't  change  the  fact  of  his  coming  from  an  old 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  3/9 

family.  He  has  been  as  brave  to-night  as  the  Dim- 
merlys  were  a  thousand  years  ago." 

But  Lottie  was  not  a  bit  interested  in  the  mil 
lennial  Dimmerlys,  and  putting,  her  arms  around 
her  uncle's  neck  in  a  way  that  surprised  that  ancient 
fossil,  she  coaxed : 

"  Won't  you  promise  me,  uncle,  that  as  soon  as 
he  is  safe  you  will  come  out  and  let  me  know  ?  " 

"  Safe  !  He's  safe  now.  Whoever  heard  of  even 
a  half-blooded  Dimmerly  dying  from  a  mere  faint  ? 
Old  age  is  the  only  disease  that  runs  in  our  family, 
my  dear.  But  I  will  let  you  know  as  soon  as  he  is 
comfortably  asleep."  "  I  am  going  to  make  my  pro 
per  parson  nephew  almost  drunk,  for  once  in  his 
life ;  and  you  needn't  expect  to  see  him  much  be- 
foreten  o'clock  to-morrow." 

Lottie,  finding  her  services  were  not  needed  in 
Miss  Martell's  room,  went  down  to  the  kitchen, 
where  she  found  the  half-frozen  oarsman — now  rigged 
out  in  the  dress-coat  and  white  vest  of  the  colored 
waiter — and  the  brave  coachman  who  had  put  his  old 
sea-craft  to  such  good  use.  They  were  being  royally 
cared  for  by  the  cook  and  laundress.  The  poor  fellow 
who  out  in  the  boat  had  thought  that  the  hearts 
of  even  his  neighbors  were  as  cold  and  hard  as  the 
ice  that  was  destroying  them,  had  now  forgotten  his 
misanthropy,  and  was  making  a  supper  that,  consid 
ering  the  hour,  would  threaten  to  an  ordinary  mortal 
more  peril  than  that  from  which  he  had  escaped. 
She  drew  from  him — especially  the  coachman — the 


380  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

narrative  of  their  thrilling  experience,  and  every 
moment  Hemstead  grew  more  heroic  in  her  eyes. 

"  Bless  you,  miss,"  said  the  bluff  ex-sailor,  his 
tongue  a  little  loosened  by  the  whiskey  he  had 
taken  as  an  antidote  for  the  cold  and  wet,  "  there's 
stuff  enough  in  him  to  make  a  hundred  such  as 
t'other  young  gentleman  as  wouldn't  go.  Sudden 
spells,  like  that  he  had  t'other  night,  is  all  he'll  ever 
be  'stinguished  for,  I'm  a-thinking.  But  I  ax  you 
pardon,  miss." 

"  I  can  forgive  you  anything  to-night,  my  brave 
fellow,"  said  Lottie,  blushing ;  "  though  you  have 
given  Mr.  Hemstead  so  much  credit,  he  will  give 
you  more  to-morrow.  Take  this  and  get  something 
to  remember  this  evening  by ; "  and  she  slipped  a 
twenty-dollar  bank  note  into  his  hand. 

"  Now  bless  your  sweet  eyes,"  exclaimed  the  man 
ducking  and  bobbing  with  bewildering  rapidity ;  "  its 
your  kindness  that'll  make  me  remember  the  eve 
ning  to  my  dying  day." 

"  How  could  you  speak  so  of  Mr.  De  Forrest, 
when  the  young  leddy  is  engaged  to  him  ?  "  said  the 
cook  reproachfully,  after  Lottie  had  gone. 

"  No  matter,"  said  the  ex-sailor  stoutly,  "  I've 
had  it  on  my  conscience  to  give  her  a  warnin'.  I 
hadn't  the  heart  to  see  such  a  trim  little  craft  run 
into  shallow  water,  and  hoist  no  signal.  If  she  was 
my  darter,  she'd  have  to  mitten  that  lubber  if  he  was 
wuth  a  million." 

As  Lottie  passed  through  the  hall  with  silent 
tread,  she  saw  that  De  Forrest  was  in  the  parlor,  and 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  381 

to  escape  him  continued  on  up  to  her  room,  musing 
as  she  went : 

"  What  a  strange  blending  of  weakness  and 
strength  Mr.  Hemstead  is.  Well,  I  would  like  that. 
I  would  like  a  man  to  be  as  strong  as  Samson  gen 
erally,  but  often  so  weak  that  he  would  have  to  lean 
on  me." 

Whom  did  Lottie  mean  by  that  indefinite  word 
"  man  "  ?  It  did  not  occur  to  her  that  there  was  a 
very  definite  image  in  her  mind  of  one  who  was 
pale  and  exhausted,  and  whom  it  would  now  be  a 
dear  privilege  to  nurse  back  into  strength  and  vigor. 

She  met  her  uncle  and  the  physician  in  the 
upper  hall,  and  the  latter  said  : 

"  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell  are  doing  as  well  as  could 
be  expected,  when  we  consider  the  fearful  ordeal 
they  have  passed  through.  As  far  as  I  can  foresee,  a 
few  days'  rest  and  quiet  will  quite  restore  them." 

11  And  Mr.— Mr.  Hemstead  ?  "  faltered  Lottie,  the 
color  mounting  into  her  face  that  anxiety  had  made 
unwontedly  pale. 

"  The  brave  fellow  who  rescued  them  ?  Now  he 
is  the  right  kind  of  a  dominie — not  all  white  choker 
and  starch.  No  fear  about  him,  Miss  Marden.  He's 
made  of  good  stuff,  well  put  together.  A  night's 
rest  and  a  warm  breakfast,  and  he  will  be  himself 
again  ;  "  and  the  old  doctor  bustled  away. 

"What  delightful  prose,"  thought  Lottie,  and 
she  tripped  lightly  to  her  room  and  kissed  the  sullen 
and  offended  Bel  good  night ;  and,  very  grateful  and 
at  peace  with  all  the  world,  soon  fell  asleep. 


382  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

But  she  had  a  disagreeable  dream.  Again  she  saw 
Hemstead  at  Miss  Martell's  feet ;  but  now,  instead 
of  being  pale  and  unconscious,  his  face  was  flushed 
and  eager,  and  he  was  pleading  for  that  which  the 
king  cannot  buy.  She  awoke  sobbing,  called  her 
self  a  "  little  fool,"  and  went  to  sleep  again. 

But  in  the  morning  the  dream  lingered  in  her 
mind  in  a  vague  uncomfortable  way. 

She  was  early  down  to  breakfast,  for  she  was 
eager  to  speak  to  Hemstead,  and  tell  him  how  she 
appreciated  his  heroism.  But  either  his  exhaustion 
was  greater  than  the  physician  had  believed,  or 
his  uncle's  sedatives  were  very  powerful,  for  he  did 
not  appear. 

There  was  nothing  better  for  her  than  to  endure 
De  Forrest's  explanations  why  he  had  not  gone,  and 
his  assurances  that  if  he  had  "  only  known,  etc."  ;  to 
which  she  gave  an  impatient  hearing,  quite  unlike 
her  gentleness  of  the  two  preceding  days.  There 
were  little  things  in  her  manner  which  indicated  a 
falling  barometer,  and  suggested  that  the  day  might 
not  pass  serenely. 

She  learned  from  her  aunt  and  uncle  that  Mr. 
and  Miss  Martell  were  feeling  better  than  might 
have  been  expected,  and  that  Hemstead  was  still 
sleeping. 

"  Sleep  was  all  he  wanted,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly ; 
"  and  I  made  it  my  business  he  should  get  it." 

Quite  early  in  the  forenoon,  Mr.  Martell  and  his 
daughter  felt  equal  to  coming  down  to  the  parlor, 
and  after  dinner  it  was  their  intention  to  return 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  383 

home.  A  luxurious  lounge  was  wheeled  near  the 
blazing  wood  fire,  and  on  this  Miss  Martell  was  ten 
derly  placed  by  her  father,  who,  in  joyful  gratitude, 
could  scarcely  take  his  eyes  from  her  pale  face. 
Beyond  the  natural  languor  which  would  follow  so 
terrible  a  strain,  she  seemed  quite  well. 

Both  father  and  daughter  appreciated  Mrs. 
Marchmont's  courtesy  greatly ;  and  Miss  Martell's 
effort  to  be  cordial,  even  to  Addie,  was  quite  pa 
thetic,  when  it  is  remembered  that  she  felt  that  her 
supposed  rival  would  harm  her  more  than  could  the 
river  cold. 

Lottie  made  frequent  errands  to  her  room,  and 
lingered  in  the  hall  all  she  could  without  attracting 
notice,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  Hemstead  a  moment 
alone.  The  impulsive  girl's  warm  heart  was  so  full 
of  admiration  for  what  he  had  done  that  she  longed 
to  show  him  her  appreciation  without  the  chilling 
restraint  of  observant  eyes  and  critical  ears. 

But  he  was  so  blind  to  his  interests  as  to  blunder 
into  the  parlor  when  she  was  there  and  every  one 
else  also. 

Though  it  cost  her  great  effort,  Alice  Martell 
rose  instantly,  and  greeted  him  so  cordially  as  to 
bring  the  deepest  crimson  into  his  pale  face.  Mr. 
Martell  also  pressed  to  his  side,  speaking  words 
which  only  a  grateful  father  could. 

When,  for  any  cause,  Hemstead  was  the  object 
of  general  attention,  the  occasion  became  the  very 
hour  and  opportunity  for  his  awkward  diffidence  to 


384  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

assert  itself,  and  now  he  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
floor,  the  most  angular  and  helpless  of  mortals. 

De  Forrest  looked  at  him  with  disdain,  and 
thought,  "  I  would  like  to  show  him  how  a  gentleman 
ought  to  act  under  the  circumstances." 

De  Forrest  would  have  been  equal  to  receiving 
all  the  praise,  and  as  it  was,  in  view  of  his  readiness 
to  have  saved  Miss  Kartell  if  he  "  had  only  known," 
could  have  accepted,  with  graceful  complacency,  a 
gratitude  that  quite  overwhelmed  the  man  of  deeds. 

Hemstead's  confusion  was  so  great  as  even  to 
embarrass  Miss  Martell  for  a  moment,  and  her  face, 
from  reminding  one  of  a  lily,  suddenly  suggested 
an  exquisite  pink  rose. 

But  before  he  was  aware,  she  had  ensconced  him 
in  an  easy  chair  at  her  side,  and  with  a  tact  pecu 
liarly  her  own,  had  rallied  his  panic-stricken  faculties 
into  such  order  that  he  could  again  take  command 
of  them. 

But  as  Lottie  saw  them  grasping  each  other's 
hands  and  blushing,  her  dream  recurred  to  her  with 
the  force  of  an  ominous  prophecy.  Hemstead,  in 
his  severe  attack  of  diffidence,  had  not  greeted  any 
one  on  his  entrance,  but  had  fallen  helplessly  into 
Miss  Martell's  hands,  and  had  been  led  to  his  chair 
like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter.  But  Lottie  took  it  as 
much  to  heart  as  if  he  had  purposely  neglected  to 
speak  to  her.  And  when,  a  little  later,  Mr.  Dimmerly 
commenced  a  formal  eulogy,  Hemstead  with  an  ex 
pression  of  intense  annoyance  raised  his  hand  depre- 
catingly,  and  pleaded  that  no  one  would  speak  of 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  385 

what  he  had  done  again,  she  feared  that  all  the 
glowing  words  she  meant  to  say  would  be  unwel 
come  after  all. 

Everything  had  turned  out  so  differently  from 
what  she  had  anticipated  that  she  was  disappointed 
above  measure,  and  before  he  could  collect  his 
scattered  wits  she  left  the  room. 

"  And  so  it  all  ends,"  she  thought  bitterly,  as  she 
chafed  up  and  down  the  hall.  "  I  sent  him  out  last 
night  as  my  own  '  true  knight,'  wearing  my  colors, 
and  he  rescues  another  woman.  When  I  see  him 
again  he  brushes  past  me  to  speak  to  the  one  who, 
owing  him  so  much  of  course  will  be  grateful. 
With  eyes  for  her  alone  he  wears  my  colors  in  his 
face,  and  she  raises  the  same  blood-red  signal.  I  was 
looking  forward  to  the  pleasure  of  giving  him  a  wel 
come  that  he  might  value  on  his  return,  and  he 
has  not  even  spoken  to  me.  After  our  parting  last 
night  could  anything  have  turned  out  more  flat  and 
prosaic  ?  " 

Just  at  this  moment  Harcourt,  who  was  another 
victim  of  circumstances,  entered,  and  Lottie,  too 
annoyed  to  meet  any  one,  fled  to  her  own  room. 

He  had  already  called  early  in  the  morning,  to 
inquire  after  the  invalids ;  and  now,  in  the  hope  of 
seeing  Miss  Martell,  had  driven  over  again. 

But  Miss  Martell  did  not  know  this,  and  his 
coming  now  seemed  a  little  late  and  dilatory  con 
sidering  all  they  had  passed  through.  Deep  in  her 
heart  there  was  disappointment  that  he  had  not 
come  to  her  rescue  instead  of  Hemstead.  Was  he 


386  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

one  to  stand  safely  on  the  shore  while  others  took 
risks  from  which  true  manhood  would  not  have 
shrunk  ?  Could  he  have  dreamt  that  she  was  in 
peril,  and  still  have  let  Hemstead  go  without  him 
to  her  aid  ?  These  were  thoughts  that  had  dis 
tressed  her  during  part  of  a  sleepless  night  and 
all  the  morning. 

Moreover  when  he  entered,  Addie  had  pounced 
upon  him  in  her  usual  style,  as  if  she  had  in  him 
certain  rights  of  possession. 

Addie's  manner,  together  with  her  thoughts,  gave 
an  involuntary  tinge  of  coldness  to  her  greeting 
which  he  was  quick  to  recognize,  while  her  cordiality 
to  Hemstead  suggested  to  him,  as  to  Lottie,  that  she 
might  be  very  grateful. 

Mr.  Martell  was  more  than  slightly  distant.  He 
was  stiff  and  formal.  As  circumstances  then  ap 
peared  to  him  he  thought  that  Harcourt  had  acted  a 
very  unworthy  part.  Mr.  Martell  naturally  supposed 
that  both  Harcourt  and  De  Forrest  were  at  Mrs. 
Marchmont's,  but  that  only  Hemstead  had  been 
willing  to  venture  to  their  assistance.  To  De  Forrest 
he  gave  scarcely  a  thought,  having  estimated  that 
superficial  youth  at  his  own  light  weight.  But  that 
Harcourt,  the  son  of  his  old  and  dear  friend,  should 
have  so  failed  in  manly  duty,  was  a  bitter  trial.  As 
he  saw  him  and  Addie  together,  he  thought  con 
temptuously  : 

"  They  are  well  mated,  after  all.  How  strange 
that  my  peerless  daughter  can  have  such  a  regard 
for  him  ! " 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING.  387 

He  had  become  aware  of  his  daughter's  prefer 
ence,  though,  out  of  delicate  regard  for  her  feelings 
he  had  feigned  blindness. 

Even  had  Harcourt  known  how  greatly  they 
misjudged  him,  in  his  sensitive  pride  he  would  have 
made  no  explanations ;  and  he  was  the  last  one  in 
the  world  to  tell  them,  as  would  De  Forrest,  how  he 
meant  to  go  to  their  aid,  etc. 

His  manner  puzzled  Alice.  She  could  not  help 
noting  with  a  secret  satisfaction,  that  while  polite, 
•he  was  annoyed  at  Addie's  demonstrativeness ;  and 
at  times  she  thought  his  eyes,  sought  her  face  almost 
as  if  in  appeal.  But  her  own  and  her  father's  man 
ner  had  evidently  chilled  him,  and  he  soon  took  his 
leave.  His  face,  in  which  pride  and  dejection  con 
tended  for  mastery,  haunted  her  like  a  reproach. 

"  If  Mr.  Harcourt  had  only  arrived  a  little  earlier 
last  evening,  Miss  Martell,"  said  De  Forrest  com 
placently,  "you  would  have  had  three  to  thank 
instead  of  one.  I'm  sure  if  I  had  known  that  you 
and  your  father — " 

"How  is  that?"  asked  Mr.  Martell  quickly. 
"  Was  not  Mr.  Harcourt  spending  the  evening 
here  ?  " 

"  Oh  no.  It  was  from  him  we  first  learned  of 
your  peril.  He  came  tearing  over  like  mad,  a  few 
moments  after  the  coachman  and  Mr.  Hemstead  had 
gone  ;  then  he  dashed  off  to  the  shore,  where  I  soon 
joined  him.  I  thought  at  one  time,"  continued  De 
Forrest,  glad  to  say  anything  that  would  dim  Hem- 
stead's  laurels,  "  that  he  would  start  out  into  the 


388  FROM   JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

river  with  no  better  support  than  a  plank,  so  eager 
was  he  to  go  to  your  aid.  If  we  could  only  have 
found  another  boat  we  would  have  both  gone.  As 
it  was,  it  was  well  I  was  then  to  restrain  him,  for  he 
seemed  beside  himself." 

The  rich  color  mounted  to  Miss  MarteH's  face  as 
she  gave  her  father  a  swift  glance  of  glad  intelligence, 
and  he  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief,  as  if  some  heavy 
burden  had  been  lifted. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont  quietly,  but  at 
the  same  time  fixing  an  observant  eye  on  the 
young  lady,  "  I  never  saw  Mr.  Harcourt  so  moved 
before." 

Conscious  of  Mrs.  Marchmont's  object,  Alice 
mastered  herself  at  once,  and  with  equal  quietness 
answered : 

"  It  would  be  strange  if  it  were  otherwise.  We 
have  been  acquainted  from  childhood." 

Nevertheless,  the  experienced  matron  surmised 
danger  to  the  match  which  she  would  gladly  bring 
about  between  her  daughter  and  Harcourt,  and  in 
stead  of  fearing,  as  was  the  case  with  the  latter  and 
Lottie,  she  hoped  that  Miss  Martell  would  be  very 
grateful  to  Hemstead. 

And  so  she  appeared  to  be,  for  she  talked  to  him 
so  enchantingly,  and  for  a  time  absorbed  him  so 
completely  that  Lottie  entered  unobserved,  and  re 
mained  so  a  few  moments.  Then  his  eyes,  that  from 
the  moment  he  gained  composure  had  seemed  in 
quest  of  something,  lighted  on  her  as  she  sat  a  little 
back  of  him,  absorbed  in  her  fancy  work,  apparently. 


THE  MEETING  AND   GREETING  389 

He  wanted  to  speak  to  her,  and  yet  what  could  he 
say  before  them  all. 

The  tell-tale  color  was  again  in  his  face,  and  his 
wretched  diffidence  returned.  Neither  courtesy  nor 
his  heart  would  permit  him  to  ignore  her,  and  con 
tinue  his  conversation  with  Miss  Martell.  And  yet 
it  had  seemed  easier  to  go  in  a  boat  out  among  the 
ice,  than  to  think  of  any  proper  way  to  recognize 
the  presence  of  one,  in  whose  eyes  he  had  a  morbid 
anxiety  to  appear  well. 

Lottie  saw  his  dilemma,  and  while  she  too  com 
menced  blushing  absurdly,  would  not  help  him,  and 
her  head  bent  lower  than  ever  over  her  work. 

"  Serves  him  right,"  she  thought.  "  If  he  had 
only  met  me  in  the  hall,  I  might — well,  I  wouldn't 
have  been  an  icicle.'* 

At  last  Hemstead  concluded  that  he  could  safely 
say  "  good  morning  "  ;  and  he  did  so  in  a  very  awk 
ward  manner  over  his  shoulder. 

"  Did  you  speak  to  me  ?  "  asked  Lottie,  as  if  sud 
denly  aroused. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  under  the  painful  necessity  of 
repeating  something  that  had  sounded  very  flat  in 
the  first  place,  "  I  said  Good-morning." 

"  Oh,  excuse  me.  As  it  is  so  late  I  bid  you  good 
afternoon." 

Her  manner  as  well  as  her  words  so  quenched 
poor  Hemstead,  that  he  did  not  venture  another 
word ;  and  thus  Lottie  and  her  "  true  knight  "  had  the 
meeting  to  which,  in  remembrance  of  their  parting, 


390  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

both  had  looked  forward  with  strange  thrills  of  ex 
pectation. 

But  in  the  light  of  their  flaming  cheeks,  Miss 
Martell  caught  a  glimpse  of  their  hearts  ;  and  Mrs. 
Marchmont  was  again  led  to  fear  that  more  was 
going  on  than  should  be  permitted  by  so  good  a 
manager  as  herself. 

The  dinner-bell  soon  brought  welcome  relief  to 
all,  breaking  the  spell  of  awkward  constraint. 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  39! 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

THE  TRAIL  OF  LOVE. 

MISS  MARTELL  improved  visibly,  for  a  most 
depressing  fear  had  been  removed.  Though 
Harcourt  might  not  return  her  love,  he  had  not 
proved  himself  unworthy  of  it,  by  unmanly  regard 
for  personal  ease,  if  not  by  actual  cowardice.  It 
would  also  appear  that  more  than  general  philan 
thropy  must  have  spurred  him  on,  or  he  could  not 
have  acted  as  if  "  beside  himself." 

The  hungry  heart  will  take  even  the  crumbs  of 
regard  that  fall  from  the  hand  which  alone  can  satisfy. 
The  thought  that  her  old  friend  and  playmate  had 
been  far  from  indifferent  to  her  fate,  was  like  a  sub 
tle  exhilarating  wine  to  Miss  Martell. 

Her  rising  spirits,  and  wish  to  show  appreciation 
of  Mrs.  Marchmont's  courtesy,  made  her  as  brilliant 
as  beautiful  at  the  dinner  table,  while  Lottie,  in  con 
trast,  was  silent  and  depressed.  -The  new-fledged 
little  saint  soon  became  conscious  that  for  some 
reason  she  was  very  jealous  and  very  envious — emo 
tions  for  which  she  seldom  had  even  imagined  cause 
to  cherish  toward  any  of  her  sex. 

Nor  were  Mrs.  Marchmont  and  her  daughter  dis 
posed  to  be  very  friendly  and  responsive  to  Miss 


392  FROM   JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

MartelTs  genial  mood  ;  but  the  young  lady  was  pos 
sessed  of  that  strength  of  mind  and  high-bred  cour 
tesy  which  enabled  her  to  ignore  the  weaknesses  and 
infelicities  of  those  around  her,  and  to  shine  with  her 
own  pure  light  on  all  objects  alike. 

Hemstead  again  was  charmed  with  her — a  fact 
that  his  frankness  made  plainly  evident.  Her  bright 
thoughts  elicited  corresponding  ones  from  him,  and 
Lottie  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  admit  to  her 
self  that  she  had  never  before  known  Mrs.  March- 
mont's  viands  to  be  seasoned  with  Attic  .salt  of  such 
high  flavor. 

For  the  first  time  the  proud  and  flattered  belle 
felt,  in  the  presence  of  another  woman,  a  humiliating 
sense  of  her  own  inferiority.  She  clearly  recognized 
that  Miss  Martell  was  far  in  the  advance  of  her. 
How  could  the  student  fail  in  being  fascinated. 
Her  mind  was  the  equal  of  his  in  force,  and  as  highly 
cultivated.  They  were  congenial  in  their  views  and 
feelings,  and  of  course  she  would  be  very  grateful. 

Lottie's  manner  had  puzzled  Hemstead  greatly. 
He  was  even  more  disappointed  than  she  had  been 
over  their  prosaic  meeting.  In  his  honest  modesty, 
broad  eulogy  from  the  others  was  exceedingly  dis 
tasteful  ;  and  yet  one  of  his  chief  incentives  the 
evening  before  had  been  the  hope  of  a  welcome  back 
from  Lottie,  in  which  her  eyes,  if  not  her  tongue, 
would  suggest  the  reward  his  heart  craved.  But  he 
had  said  "  good  morning,"  and  she  a  little  coldly 
responded  "  good  afternoon."  Moreover,  she  was 
strangely  silent  and  depressed.  What  could  it  mean, 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  393 

and  what  the  cause  ?  That  it  was  himself,  never  en 
tered  his  mind. 

Her  bearing  toward  De  Forrest,  which  was  any 
thing  but  genial,  finally  led  him  to  believe  that  she 
was  again  deeply  mortified  by  her  lover's  lack  of 
manhood,  and  that  she  was  depressed  because  of 
her  relation  to  one  who  had  failed  so  signally,  the 
evening  before,  in  those  qualities  that  women  most 
adrrfire. 

While  lingering  over  the  dessert,  Mr.  Kartell's 
sleigh  was  announced. 

"  It  was  my  purpose  to  send  you  home,"  ex 
claimed  Mrs.  Marchmont ;  "  indeed,  I  had  ordered 
my  horses  to  be  at  the  door  within  half  an  hour." 

"  I  appreciate  your  kindness,"  said  Mr.  Martell, 
"  but  after  the  heroic  efforts  of  your  amphibious  coach 
man  last  night,  T  should  feel  guilty  if  we  broke  in 
upon  his  rest  to-day." 

"  I'm  glad  you  recognize  his  merit,"  said  Hem- 
stead  quickly  ;  "  you  owe  far  more  to  him  than  me  "  ; 
ar\4  he  launched  out  into  the  most  hearty  eulogy  of 
the  ex-sailor. 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  Lottie's  old,  mirthful 
Jaugh  was  heard,  as  she  said  : 

"  Well,  in  one  respect,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  and 
the  coachman  are  birds  of  a  feather,  and  rare  birds 
at  that.  He  gives  you  all  the  credit  of  the  rescue, 
and  you  insist  that  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  it, 
but  only  went  along  for  company,  as  it  were.  But  I 
think  we  all  surmised  the  truth,  when  you  fainted 
from  exhaustion  at  Miss  Kartell's  feet.  That  was  a 


394  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

very  happy  chance,  and  so  it  all  turned  out  as  well 
as  anyknight  of  old  could  have  desired. 

This  sudden  speech  from  Lottie  bewildered  Hem- 
stead  more  than  ever.  What  could  she  mean  ?  But 
Miss  Martell  understood  her  better,  and  gave  a  keen 
thrust  in  return  as  she  smilingly  answered : 

"  With  the  only  exception  that  Mr.  Hemstead 
fainted  at  the  feet  of  the  wrong  lady." 

This  unexpected  retort  threw  both  Hemstead  and 
Lottie  into  disastrous  confusion,  which  Mrs.  March- 
mont  was  not  slow  to  observe,  and  which  was  not 
allayed  by  Mr.  Dimmerly's  cackling  laugh,  as  he 
chuckled,  "  A  well-flown  arrow." 

"  Well,"  said  Hemstead,  trying  to  laugh  it  off, 
"  all  I  can  say  in  self-defence  is,  that  in  either  case 
my  faint  could  not  be  spelled  with  an  e.  It  was  the 
first,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  the  last  time  I  ever  do 
anything  so  melodramatic." 

"  Mr.  Hemstead  must  be  an  ideal  knight,  as  we 
learn  from  his  phrase  'in  either  case,'  "  said  Lottie. 
"  He  would  have  us  believe  that  he  is  entirely  impar 
tial  in  his  homage  to  our  sex.  And,  now  I  think  of 
it,  he  was  more  polite  to  old  Aunty  Lammer  than 
ever  he  has  been  to  me." 

"  Now  Miss  Marsden,"  said  Hemstead,  reproach 
fully,  "  you  are  again  indulging  in  Orientalism." 

"  Certainly,"  chimed  in  De  Forrest ;  "  that 
sylph  so  filled  his  eye  that  she  became  his  ideal,  as 
you  told  us,  Miss  Lottie." 

"  I  told  you  ?"  she  answered  in  sudden  annoy 
ance  ;  "  your  memory  is  better  than  mine." 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  395 

Soon  after,  Mr.  Martell  and  his  daughter  took 
their  departure,  with  many  sincere  and  graceful 
acknowledgments  of  the  kindness  they  had  re 
ceived. 

Many  were  the  words  of  force  and  wisdom  that 
Miss  Martell  had  read  and  heard,  but  never  had 
any  made  so  profound  an  impression  upon  her  as 
the  vain  vaporings  of  De  Forrest,  as  he  insisted  on 
claiming  all  the  credit  he  could  for  his  action  the 
evening  before. 

"  Did  he  exaggerate  ?  "  she  asked  herself  a  hun 
dred  times,  "  when  he  said,  '  It  was  well  I  was  there ; 
for  Mr.  Harcourt  was  beside  himself,  and  was  ready 
to  venture  out  upon  a  plank  to  my  aid  ? '  I  fear  he 
did." 

Her  father  surmised  something  of  her  thoughts, 
and  said  gently,  "  I  fear  we  have  done  Mr.  Har 
court  injustice." 

"  Yes,  father,"  she  answered,  in  a  low  tone,  "  I 
think  we  have." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  after  a  moment,  "  I  never  had  a 
pleasanter  duty  than  the  amends  I  purpose  making. 
It  cut  me  to  the  heart  to  think  the  son  of  my  old 
friend  had  permitted  a  stranger  to  come  to  our 
rescue." 

"  I  feel  sure  that  Mr.  Harcourt  would  have  come 
also,  had  it  been  in  his  power,"  she  said,  with  quiet 
emphasis. 

"  You  always  stood  up  for  Tom,"  said  her  father, 
gently. 

But  she  made  no  answer. 


FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

Mr.  Martell  then  questioned  his  coachman  some 
what. 

"  Indade,  sir,  we  was  all  putty  nigh  crazy  when 
Mr.  Harcourt  druv  in  late  last  night  and  said  you 
were  safe.  He  told  me  to  come  over  this  morning 
and  get  your  orders,  and  to  have  the  house  ready 
for  yes/' 

"  Now  that  was  considerate.  I  feel,  my  daughter, 
that  we  owe  Mr.  Harcourt  an  apology.  Do  you  feel 
equal  to  entertaining  him  at  supper?" 

"  I  will  try,  father." 

"  Drive  right  on  up  town,"  said  Mr.  Martell,  a  lit 
tle  later,  from  the  steps  of  his  piazza,  "  and  present 
my  compliments  to  Mr.  Harcourt,  and  ask  him  if  he 
will  favor  us  with  his  company  at  supper." 

Alice  gave  him  a  shy,  grateful  glance,  and  then 
sought  her  room. 

As  she  was  unwrapping  herself  before  her  mirror, 
she  noted  that  a  pane  of  glass  in  the  window  near 
was  badly  cracked,  and  that  the  lace  curtain  above 
was  torn  partially  from  its  fastening. 

As  her  maid  entered  she  asked  how  it  happened. 

The  woman  in  evident  confusion  answered ; 
"  Indeed,  miss,  I  meant  to  mend  the  curtain  this 
morning,  but  I've  riot  had  me  head  straight  since 
last  evening." 

"  But  how  did  it  happen  ? "  persisted  Alice ; 
"  who  could  have  been  so  rough  and  careless?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  maid  hesitatingly,  "  it  must 
have  been  Mr.  Harcourt." 

"  Mr.  Harcourt  !  " 


THE    TRAIL    OF  LOVE.  397 

"  Well,  you  see,  miss,  he  came  last  night  to  see 
you,  for  one  of  the  girls  said  he  asked  for  you,  and 
when  he  found  you  was  out  on  the  river  he  just 
seemed  beside  himself.  We  was  a  lookin'  out  up 
stairs  and  we  first  saw  the  light  a-coming  up  after 
the  tide  turned,  and  we  screamed  to  him  and  the 
coachman,  and  Mr.  Harcourt  he  came  up  stairs  like 
a  gust  o'  wind.  Your  door  stood  open,  and  in  he 
rushed  in  a  way  that  I  thought  he'd  break  every 
thing." 

"  There,  that  will  do  ;  I  understand.  You  need 
not  mend  the  curtain.  You  must  be  tired  after  all 
your  fright,  and  can  rest  awhile  this  afternoon,  as  I 
shall." 

A  beautiful  color  dawned  in  Alice's  face.  She 
was  recovering  from  her  languor  and  weakness  with 
marvellous  rapidity.  It  was  not  strange,  for  no  elixir 
was  ever  distilled  so  potent  as  that  which  now 
infused  its  subtle  spirit  into  heart  and  brain. 

But  a  few  hours  before,  the  wayward  but  good- 
hearted  companion  of  her  childhood,  the  manly 
friend  of  the  present  and  future — she  would  permit 
herself  to  think  of  him  in  no  other  light — seemed 
lost  to  her  forever  ;  to  have  had  in  fact  no  real  exist 
ence  ;  for  if  Harcourt  had  been  content  to  act  De 
Forrest's  part  the  evening  before,  Alice  Martell 
would  have  soon  shaken  off  even  his  acquaintance. 
But  De  Forrest's  words  had  suggested  that  the  Har 
court  of  her  dreams  still  existed.  She  had  seen  an 
other  trace  of  manly,  considerate  feeling,  in  his 
thoughtfulness  of  the  servants'  fears,  and  of  their  com- 


398  FROM   JEST  TO   EARNEST. 

fort.  And  now  the  torn  curtain  and  broken  glass 
suggested  the  impetuous  action  of  one  who  thought 
of  her  peril  rather  than  the  trifles  around  him. 

Twice  now  she  had  been  told  that  Harcourt  was 
"  beside  himself,"  and  yet  never  had  madness 
seemed  so  rational  ;  and  her  eyes  dwelt  on  the 
marks  of  his  phrensy  before  her  with  unmixed  satis 
faction.  If  he  had  been  cool  then,  her  heart  now 
would  be  cold. 

She  could  not  rest,  and  at  last  thought  that  the 
frosty  air  would  cool  the  fever  in  her  cheeks,  and  so 
wrapped  herself  for  a  walk  upon  the  broad  piazza. 
Moreover,  she  felt,  as  Lottie  had,  that  she  would  be 
glad  to  have  no  eyes,  not  even  her  father's,  witness 
their  meeting.  She  felt  that  she  could  act  more 
naturally  and  composedly  if  alone  with  him,  and  at 
the  same  time  show  the  almost  sisterly  regard  through 
which  she  hoped  to  win  him  to  his  better  self. 

As  she  paced  up  and  down  the  piazza  in  the 
early  twilight,  her  attention  was  attracted  to  a  spot 
where  some  one,  instead  of  going  deliberately  down 
the  steps,  had  plunged  off  into  the  piled  up  snow, 
and  then  just  opposite  and  beyond  the  broad  path 
were  tracks  wide  apart,  as  if  some  one  had  bounded 
rather  than  run  toward  the  river. 

She  ceased  her  walk,  and  stood  as  one  who  had 
discovered  a  treasure.  Did  these  foot-prints  and 
the  torn  curtain  belong  together?  She  felt  that  it 
could  not  be  otherwise.  There  was,  then,  no  cold 
blooded,  cowardly  Harcourt,  and  traces  of  the  real 
man  grew  clearer. 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  399 

"  But  how  could  he  reach  the  river  in  that 
direction  without  risking  his  neck  ? "  and  she  in 
dulged  in  quite  a  panic  as  she  remembered  the  inter 
vening  steeps.  She  longed  yet  dreaded  to  see  him, 
that  she  might  ask  an  explanation  of  the  traces  she 
had  found ;  for,  having  done  him  injustice,  she  gen 
erously  meant  to  make  him  full  amends. 

But  to  her  great  disappointment  the  sleigh  now 
returned  without  him. 

"  I  left  the  message,  miss,"  said  the  coachman, 
"  but  they  told  me  that  Mr.  Harcourt  had  a  sudden 
business  call  to  New  York." 

Alice  sought  to  draw  the  man  out  a  little,  and  it 
was  also  her  habit  to  speak  kindly  to  those  in  her 
employ  ;  so  she  said  : 

"  I  fear,  Burtis,  you  will  be  a  little  jealous  of  Mrs. 
Marchmont's  coachman.  If  it  had  not  been  for  him 
we  could  not  have  escaped,  I  think." 

"  Well,  thank  God,  I'm  not  much  behind  him. 
If  he  stopped  two  funerals,  I  stopped  one." 

"  Why  how  is  that,  Burtis  ?  " 

"  Faix,  miss,  an'  do  ye  see  thim  tracks  there  ? 
They  go  straight  to  the  river,  and  it  was  Misther 
Harcourt  as  made  them.  He  was  jist  one  second  on 
the  way  after  he  saw  the  light,  and  by  rinnin'  an' 
rollin'  an'  tumblin'  he  was  at  the  boat-house  in  a  wink. 
When  I  gets  there,  a-pufiin'  an'  a-blowin',  he's  un 
locked  the  door  by  breakin'  it  in,  and  is  a  haulin'  at 
the  ould  boat ;  and  because  I  wouldn't  lend  a  hand 
in  gettin'  out  the  crazy  ould  craft  that  wouldn't  float 
a  hundred  foot,  he  swears  at  me  in  the  most  onchris- 


400  FROM  JEST   TO   EARNEST. 

tian  manner,  and  tries  to  get  it  out  alone.  But  ye 
know,  miss,  how  he  couldn't  do  that,  and  soon  he 
gives  it  up  and  falls  to  gnawin'  his  nails  like  one 
beside  himself,  an'  a-mutterin'  how  he  must  either 
*  save  her  or  drown  with  her'  Then  he  dashed  up 
the  bank  agin'  and  he  and  his  black  hoss  was  off  like 
a  whirlwind.  If  the  Naughty  Tillus,  or  any  other 
thing  as  would  float  was  here,  ye'd  had  no  need  of 
Mrs.  Marchmont's  coachman.  But  I  thought  he'd 
off  wid  me  head  because  I  wouldn't  help  out  wid 
the  ould  boat." 

Not  a  word  or  sign  did  Alice  place  in  the  way 
of  the  man's  garrulity,  but  rather  her  breathless  in 
terest  as  with  parted  lips  she  bent  forward  encour 
aging  him  to  go  on. 

Was  he  not  reciting  an  epic  poem  of  which  she 
was  the  heroine  and  Harcourt  the  hero?  The  true 
epics  of  the  world  are  generally  told  in  the  baldest 
prose. 

"  There  was  one  thing  I  didn't  like,"  continued 
the  man,  gathering  up  his  reins,  "  and  I've  thought  I 
ought  to  speak  of  it  to  ye  or  ye's  father.  All  his 
talk  was  about  savin'  yerself,  and  not  a  whisper  of 
the  ould  gentleman,  who  has  been  so  kind  to  him  all 
his  life.  It  sounded  kinder  onnatteral  like." 

"  All  right,  Burtis,  you  have  done  your  duty  in 
speaking  to  me,  and  so  need  not  say  anything  to 
Mr.  Martell  about  it,  I  rather  think  you  have  pre 
vented  a  funeral,  and  perhaps  I  owe  you  as  many 
thanks  as  Mrs.  Marchmont's  coachman.  At  any 


THE    l^RAIL   OF  LOVE.  40 1 

rate  you  will  find  on  Christmas  that  you  have  not 
been  forgotten." 

So  the  man  drove  to  the  stable  with  the  compla 
cent  consciousness  of  having  done  his  duty,  and 
warned  his  mistress  against  a  "  very  onnatteral  feel- 
in'  "  in  the  young  man. 

The  moment  he  disappeared  around  the  corner, 
Alice  stood  undecided  a  moment,  like  a  startled  deer, 
and  then  sped  down  the  path  to  the  boat-house. 
The  snow  was  tramped  somewhat  by  the  'big  lum 
bering  feet  of  the  coachman,  but  had  it  not  been, 
Alice  now  had  wings.  The  twilight  was  deepening, 
and  she  could  not  wait  till  the  morrow  before  follow 
ing  up  this  trail  that  led  to  the  idol  of  her  heart. 

She  paused  in  the  winding  path  when  half-way 
down  the  bank,  that  she  might  gloat  over  the  mad 
plunges  by  which  Harcourt  had  crossed  it,  straight 
to  the  river.  She  followed  his  steps  to  the  brink  of 
a  precipice  and  saw  with  a  thrill  of  mingled  fear  and 
delight  where  he  had  slid  and  fallen  twenty  feet  or 
more. 

"  How  cruelly  I  have  misjudged  him,"  she 
thought.  "  When  he  was  here  eager  to  his  risk  his 
life  for  me,  my  false  fancy  pictured  him  at  Addie 
Marchmont's  side.  And  yet  it  was  well  I  did  not 
know  the  truth,  for  it  would  have  been  so  much 
harder  to  have  looked  death  in  the  face  so  long,  with 
this  knowledge  of  his  friendship.  How  strangely  he 
and  Addie  act  when  together ;  but  come,  that  is  no 
affair  of  mine.  Let  me  be  thankful  that  I  have  not 
lost  the  friend  of  my  childhood." 


402  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

A  little  later  she  stood  at  the  boat-house.  The 
door  hung  by  one  hinge  only,  and  the  large  stone 
lay .  near  with  which  he  had  crashed  it  in.  She 
entered  the  dusky  place  as  if  it  were  a  temple.  Had 
it  not  been  consecrated  by  a  service  of  love ;  by  the 
costliest  offering  that  can  be  made — life?  Here  he 
said  he  would  save  or  perish  with  her  ;  here  he  had 
sought  to  make  good  his  words. 

She  picked  up  one  of  the  matches  he  had 
dropped,  and  struck  it,  that  she  might  look  into  the 
neglected  boat.  Never  was  the  utter  unseaworthi 
ness  of  a  craft  noted  with  such  satisfaction  before. 

"  While  I  vilely  thought  he  would  not  venture  to 
our  aid  at  all,  he  strained  every  nerve  to  launch  this 
old  shell.  Thanks  to  obstinate  Burtis,  who  would 
not  help  him." 

She  struck  another  match",  that  she  might  look 
more  closely ;  then  uttered  a  pitiful  cry. 

"  Merciful  heaven,  is  this  blood  on  this  rope  ?  It 
surely  is.  Now  I  think  of  it,  he  kept  his  right  hand 
gloved  this  morning,  and  offered  his  left  to  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  in  salutation.  Father  and  I,  in  our  cruel  wrong, 
did  not  offer  to  take  his  hand.  And  yet  it  would 
seem  that  he  tugged  with  bleeding  hands  at  these 
ropes,  that  he  might  almost  the  same  as  throw  away 
his  life  for  us. 

"  I  can  scarce  understand  it.  '  No  brother  could 
do  more.  He  was  braver  than  Mr.  Hemstead,  for  he 
had  a  stanch  boat,  and  experienced  help,  while  my 
old  playmate  was  eager  to  go  alone  in  this  wretched 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  403 

thing  that  would  only  have  floated  him  out  to  deep 
water  where  he  would  drown. 

"  Ah,  well,  let  the  future  be  what  it  may,  one  can 
not  be  utterly  unhappy  who  has  loved  such  a  man. 
If  he  is  willing  to  give  his  life  up  for  me,  I  surely  can 
get  him  to  give  up  his  evil,  wayward  tendencies,  and 
then  I  must  be  content." 

She  now  began  to  experience  reaction  from  her 
strong  excitement,  and  wearily  made  her  way  back 
to  the  house. 

Her  father  met  her  at  the  door,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Why  Alice,  where  have  you  been  ?  You  look 
ready  to  sink! " 

"  I  have  been  to  the  boat-house,  father,"  she 
replied,  in  a  low,  quick  tone,  "  and  I  wish  you  to  go 
there  to-morrow,  for  you  will  there  learn  how  cruelly 
we  have  misjudged  Mr.  Harcourt." 

"  But  my  child,  I  am  troubled  about  you.  You 
need  quiet  and  rest  after  all  you  have  passed 
through  ;  "  and  he  hastily  brought  her  a  glass  of  wine. 

"  I  needed  more  the  assurance  that  my  old  friend 
and  playmate  was  not  what  we  thought  this  morn 
ing,"  she  said,  with  drooping  eyes. 

"  Well,  my  darling,  we  will  make  amends  right 
royally.  He  will  be  here  to-morrow  evening,  and 
you  shall  have  no  occasion  to  find  fault  with  me. 
But  please  take  care  of  yourself.  You  do  not  realize 
what  you  have  passed  through,  and  I  fear  you  are 
yet  to  suffer  the  consequences." 

But  more  exhilarating  than  the  wine  which  her 
father  placed  to  her  lips  was  the  memory  of  what 


404  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

she  had  seen.  Her's  was  one  of  those  spiritual  natures 
that  suffer  more  through  the  mind  than  body.  She 
encountered  her  greatest  peril  in  the  fear  of  Har- 
court's  unworthiness. 

Letters  in  the  evening  mail  summoned  her  father 
to  the  city  on  the  morrow,  and  he  left  her  with  many 
injunctions  to  be  very  quiet.  It  was  evident  that  his 
heart  and  life  were  bound  up  in  her. 

But  as  the  day  grew  bright  and  mild  she  again 
found  her  way  to  the  boat-house.  With  greater 
accuracy  she  marked  his  every  hasty  step  from 
the  house  to  the  shore.  Harcourt  little  thought 
in  his  wild  alarm  that  he  was  leaving  such  mute 
but  eloquent  advocates. 

Poor  fellow  !  he  was  groaning  over  their  harsh 
judgment,  but  vowing  in  his  pride  that  he  would 
never  undeceive  them.  He  did  not  remember  that 
he  had  left  a  trail  clear  to  dullest  eyes,  and  conclu 
sive  as  a  demonstration  to  the  unerring  instinct  of  a 
loving  heart. 

He  had  gone  to  the  city  and  accomplished  his 
business  in  a  mechanical  way.  He  returned  with  the 
first  train,  though  why  he  scarcely  knew.  He  felt 
no  inclination  to  visit  at  Mrs.  Marchmont's  any  more, 
for  since  he  had  come  more  fully  under  Miss  Mar- 
tell's  influence,  Addie  had  lost  the  slight  hold  she 
had  upon  him,  and  now  her  manner  was  growing  un 
endurable.  He  also  felt  that  after  Mr.  Kartell's 
coldness  he  could  not  visit  there  again,  and  he  dog 
gedly  purposed  to  give  his  whole  time  to  his  busi 
ness  till  events  righted  him,  if  they  ever  did. 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  405 

But  his  stoical  philosophy  was  put  to  immediate 
rout  by  Mr.  Martell's  message,  which  he  received 
on  his  return.  Five  minutes  later  he  was  urging  his 
black  horse  toward  the  familiar  place,  at  a  pace  but  a 
little  more  decorous  than  when  seeking  Hemstead's 
assistance  on  the  memorable  evening  of  the  accident. 

"  Miss  Martell  is  out,"  stolidly  said  the  woman 
who  answered  his  summons. 

As  he  was  turning  away  in  deep  disappointment, 
Burtis  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  with  a  compla 
cent  grin,  remarked : 

"  She's  only  down  by  the  boat-house,  a-seein'  how 
I  saved  ye  from  drownding." 

Harcourt  slipped  a  bank  note  into  his  hand,  and 
said,  "  There's  for  your  good  services  now  if  not 
then,"  and  was  off  for  the  water's  edge  with  as  much 
speed  as  he  dare  use  before  observant  eyes. 

"  They  must  have  found  out  from  the  old  coach 
man  that  I  was  not   the  coward   they  deemed  me,' 
he  thought.     "  If  so,  I'll  see  he  has  a  merry  Christ 
mas." 

He  saw  Alice  standing  with  her  back  toward  him, 
looking  out  upon  the  river,  that  now  rippled  and 
and  sparkled  in  the  sunlight  as  if  a  dark,  stormy 
night  had  never  brooded  over  an  icy,  pitiless  tide. 

The  soft  snow  muffled  his  steps,  until  at  last  he 
said,  hesitatingly : 

"  Miss  Martell." 

She  started  violently,  and  trembled  as  if  shaken 
by  the  wind. 

"  Pardon  me,"   he    said    hastily.     "  It  was  very 


406  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

stupid  in  me  to  thus  startle  you,  but  you  seemed  so 
intent  on  something  upon  the  river  that  I  thought 
you  would  never  see  me." 

"  I — I  was  not  expecting  you,"  she  faltered. 

"  Then  I  have  done  wrong — have  been  mistaken 
in  coming." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  did  not  mean  that.  I  thought  you 
were  in  New  York.  We  expected  you  this  evening." 

"  Shall  I  go  away  then,  and  come  back  this 
evening." 

"  Yes,  come  back  this  evening,  but  do  not  go 
now — that  is,  just  yet.  I  have  something  to  say  to 
you.  Please  forgive  my  confusion.  I  fear  my  nerves 
have  been  shaken  by  what  I  have  passed  through." 

And  yet  such  "  confusion  "  in  one  usually  so 
composed  did  puzzle  him,  but  he  said  hastily,  feeling 
that  it  would  be  better  to  break  the  ice  at  once : 

"  I  came  here  not  to  '  forgive,'  but  to  seek  your 
forgiveness." 

"  You  seeking  my  forgiveness  ! ''  she  said  in  un 
feigned  surprise. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  humbly  bowing  his  head. 
"  Heaven  knows  that  I  am  weak  and  faulty  enough, 
but  when  I  have  wronged  any  one,  I  am  willing  to 
make  acknowledgment  and  reparation.  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  eager  I  have  been  to  make  such  acknowl 
edgment  to  you,  whom  I  revere  as  my  good  angel.  I 
acted  like  a  fool  in  the  chapel  last  Monday  after 
noon,  and  did  you  great  injustice.  You  have  never 
shone  on  me  '  coldly  and  distantly  like  a  star,' 
but  again  and  again  have  stooped  from  the  height 


THE    TRAIL    OF  LOVE.  407 

of  your  heavenly  character  that  you  might  lift  me 
out  of  the  mire.  It's  a  mystery  to  me  how  you  can 
do  it.  But  believe  me,  when  I  am  myself,  I  am 
grateful ;  and,"  he  continued  slowly,  his  square  jaw 
growing  firm  and  rigid,  and  a  sombre,  resolute  light 
coming  into  his  large  dark  eyes,  "  if  you  will  have 
patience  with  me,  I  will  yet  do  credit  to  the  good 
advice,  written  in  a  school-girl's  hand,  which  I  keep 
treasured  in  my  room.  Weak  and  foolish  as  I  have 
been,  I  should  have  been  far  worse  were  it  not  for 
those  letters,  and — and  your  kindness  since.  But  I 
am  offending  you,"  he  said  .sadly,  as  Alice  averted 
her  face.  "However  the  future  may  separate  us,  I 
wanted  you  to  know  that  I  gratefully  appreciate  all 
the  kindness  of  the  past.  I  sincerely  crave  your  for 
giveness  for  my  folly  last  Monday.  For  some  rea 
son  I  was  not  myself.  I  was  blinded  with —  I  said 
what  I  knew  to  be  untrue.  Though  you  might  with 
justice  have  shone  on  me  as  '  coldly  and  distantly  as 
a  star,'  you  have  treated  me  almost  as  a  sister  might. 
Please  say  that  I  am  forgiven,  and  I  will  go  at  once." 

Imagine  his  surprise  when,  as  her  only  response, 
she  said  abruptly : 

"  Mr.  Harcourt,  come  with  me." 

His  wonder  increased  as  he  saw  that  her  eyes 
were  moist  with  tears. 

She  took  him  to  the  bluff,  back  of  the  boat-house, 
where  in  the  snow  were  the  traces  of  one  who  had 
slid  and  fallen  from  a  perilous  height. 

"  What  do  these  marks  mean  ?  "  she  asked. 


408  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  It  didn't  hurt  me  any,"  he  replied  with  rising 
color. 

"  Did  you  stop  to  think  at  the  time  whether  it 
would  or  not  ?  Have  you  thought  what  a  chain  of 
circumstantial  evidence  you  left  against  you  on  that 
dreadful  night  ?  Now  come  with  me  into  the  boat- 
house,  and  let  me  tell  you  in  the  meantime  that  a 
lace  curtain  in  my  room  is  sadly  torn,  and  one  of  my 
window-panes  broken." 

While  he  yet  scarcely  understood  her,  every 
fibre  of  his  being  was  beginning  to  thrill  with  hope 
and  gladness  ;  but  he  said  deprecatingly : 

"  Please  forgive  my  intrusion.  In  my  haste  that 
night  I  blundered  into  a  place  where  I  had  no  right 
to  be.  No  doubt  I  was  very  rough  and  careless,  but 
I  was  thinking  of  another  kind  of  pain — the  pain  of 
cold  and  fear — which  you  were  suffering.  I  would 
gladly  have  broken  that  to  fragments." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  complaining.  The  abundant 
proof  that  you  were  not  deliberate  delights  me.  But 
come  into  the  boat-house,  and  I  will  convict  both 
you  and  myself,  and  then  we  shall  see  who  is  the 
proper  one  to  ask  forgiveness.  What  is  this  upon 
these  ropes,  Mr.  Harcourt,  and  how  did  it  come 
here?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  nothing ;  I  only,  bruised  my  hand  a 
little  breaking  in  the  door." 

"  Is  it  nothing  that  you  tugged  with  bleeding 
hands  at  these  ropes,  that  you  might  go  alone  in  this 
wretched  shell  of  a  boat  to  our  aid  ?  Why,  Mr.  Har 
court,  it  would  not  have  floated  you  a  hundred 


THE    TRAIL    OF  LOVE.  409 

yards,  and  Burtis  told  you  so.  Was  it  mere  vapor 
ing  when  you  said,  *  If  I  cannot  save  them,  I  can 
at  least  drown  with  them  '  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  said  impetuously,  the  blood  growing 
dark  in  his  face,  "it  was  not  vaporing.  Can  you 
believe  me  capable  of  hollow  acting  on  the  eve,  as  I 
feared,  of  the  most  awful  tragedy  that  ever  threat 
ened?" 

"  Oh,  not  the  « most  awful,! '  " 

"  The  most  awful  to  me." 

"  No,  I  cannot.  As  I  said  before,  I  have  too 
much  circumstantial  evidence  against  you.  Mr.  Har- 
court,  true  justice  looks  at  the  intent  of  the  heart. 
You  unconsciously  left  abundant  proof  here  of  what 
you  intended,  and  I  feel  that  I  owe  my  life  to  you 
as  truly  as  to  Mr.  Hemstead.  And  yet  I  was  so 
cruelly  unjust  yesterday  morning  as  to  treat  you 
coldly,  because  I  thought  my  old  friend  and  play 
mate  had  lejt  strangers  go  to  our  help.  With  far 
better  reason  I  wish  to  ask  your  forgive — " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Harcourt  eagerly,  "  circumstances 
appeared  against  me  that  evening,  and  you  only 
judged  naturally.  You  have  no  forgiveness  to  ask, 
for  you  have  made  amends  a  thousand-fold  in  this 
your  generous  acknowledgment.  And  yet,  Miss 
Martell,  you  will  never  know  how  hard  it  was  that  I 
could  not  go  to  your  rescue  that  night.  I  never 
came  so  near  cursing  my  destiny  before." 

"  I  cannot  understand  it,"  said  Alice  hi  a  low 
tone,  turning  away  her  face. 

"  It's  all  painfully  plain  to  me/'  he  said  with  a 
18 


410  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

spice  of  bitterness.  "  Miss  Martell,  I  am  as  grateful 
to  Hemstead  as  you  are,  for  when  he  saved  you,  he 
also  saved  me.  If  you  had  perished,  I  feel  that  I 
should  have  taken  the  counsel  of  an  ancient  fool, 
who  said,  '  Curse  God  and  die.'  ' 

She  gave  him  a  quick  look  of  surprise,  but  said 
only,  "That  would  be  folly  indeed." 

He  took  her  hand,  and  earnestly,  indeed  almost 
passionately  continued.  *'  Miss  Alice,  I  pray  you 
teach  me  how  to  be  a  true  man.  Have  patience 
with  me,  and  I  will  try  to  be  worthy  of  your  esteem. 
You  have  made  me  loathe  my  old,  vile  self.  You 
have  made  true  manhood  seem  so  noble  and  attract 
ive  that  I  am  willing  to  make  every  effort,  and  suf 
fer  any  pain — even  that  of  seeing  you  shine  upon 
me  in  the  unapproachable  distance  of  a  star.  Make 
me  feel  that  you  do  care  what  I  become.  Speak  to 
me  some  times  as  you  did  the  other  evening  among 
the  flowers.  Give  me  the  same  advice  that  I  find  in 
the  old  yellow  letters  which  have  been  my  Bible,  and, 
believe  rne,  you  will  not  regret  it." 

Alice's  hand  trembled  as  he  held  it  in  both  of  his 
as  a  frightened  bird  might,  and  she  faltered  : 

"  I  never  had  a  brother,  but  I  scarcely  think  I 
could  feel  toward  one  differently — "  and  then  the 
truthful  girl  stopped  in  painful  confusion.  Her  love 
for  Harcourt  was  not  sisterly  at  all,  and  how  could 
she  say  that  it  was  ? 

But  he,  only  too  grateful,  filled  out  the  sentence 
for  her,  and  in  a  deep,  thrilling  tone  answered  : 

"  And   if  my   love   for   you   is   warmer   than   a 


THE    TRAIL   OF  LOVE.  411 

brother's— more  full  of  the  deep,  absorbing  passion 
that  comes  to  us  but  once,  I  will  try  to  school  it 
into  patience,  and  live  worthily  of  my  love  for  her 
who  inspired  it." 

Again  she  gave  him  a  quick  look  of  startled  sur 
prise,  and  said  hastily : 

"  You  forget  yourself,  sir.  Such  language  belongs 
to  another." 

"To  another?" 

"Yes,  to  Miss  Marchmont." 

"  Miss  Marchmont  can  claim  nothing  from  me, 
save  a  slight  cousinly  regard." 

"  It  is  reported  that  you  are  engaged." 

"  It's  false,"  he  said  passionately.  "  It  is  true, 
that  before  you  returned,  and  while  I  was  reckless 
because  I  believed  you  despised  me,  I  trifled  away 
more  time  there  than  I  should.  But  Miss  March 
mont,  in  reality,  is"  as  indifferent  toward  me  as  I 
toward  her.  I  am  not  bound  to  her  by  even  a  gos 
samer  thread." 

Alice  turned  away  her  face,  and  was  speechless. 

"  And  did  you  think,"  he  asked  reproachfully, 
"  that  I  could  love  her  after  knowing  you  ?  " 

*'  Love  is  blind,"  she  faltered  after  a  moment, 
"  and  is  often  guilty  of  strange  freaks.  It  does  not 
weigh  and  estimate." 

"  But  my  love  for  you  is  all  that  there  is  good  in 
me.  My  love  is  the  most  rational  thing  of  my  life/' 

She  withdrew  her  hand  from  his,  and  snatching 
the  rope  that  was  stained  with  his  blood,  she  kissed 
it  and  said  : 


412  FROM   JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

"  So  is  mine." 

"  Oh,  Alice,  what  do  you  mean  ?  "  and  he  trem 
bled  as  violently  as  she  had  done  when  he  startled 
her  on  the  beach. 

She  shyly  lifted  her  blue  eyes  to  his  and  said : 

"  Foolish  Tom,  surely  your  love  is  blind." 

Then  to  Harcourt  the  door  of  heaven  opened. 

When  Mr.  Martell  returned,  he  saw  by  the  fire 
light  in  his  dusky  study,  that  his  daughter  had  made 
such  ample  amends  that  but  little  was  left  for  him 
to  do ;  but  he  did  that  right  heartily. 

Then  the  Christian  man  said,  "  Alice,  compare 
this  with  the  shadow  of  '  Storm  King,'  and  the  grind 
ing  ice.  Let  us  thank  God. 

She  gently  replied,  "  I  have,  father." 

"  But  I  have  more  reason  to  thank  Him  than 
either  of  you,"  said  Harcourt,  brokenly,  "  for  had 
you  perished  I  would  have  been  lost,  body  and 
soul." 

"Then  serve  Him  faithfully,  my  son — serve  Him 
as  my  old  friend  your  father  did." 

"  With  His  help  I  will." 


HEM  STEAD'S  AD  VICE.  413 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 
'HEMSTEAD'S  ADVICE,  AND  LOTTIE'S  COLORS. 

SOON  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Martell  and  his 
daughter,  Hemstead  pleaded  headache,  and 
retired  to  his  room.  Lottie,  to  escape  De  Forrest, 
had  also  gone  to  hers,  but  soon  after,  at  her  brother's 
solicitation,  had  accompanied  him  to  a  neighboring 
pond  to  make  sure  that  the  ice  was  safe  for  him. 
But  though  she  yielded  to  Dan's  teasing,  her  com 
pliance  was  so  ungracious,  and  her  manner  so  short 
and  unamiable,  that  with  a  boy's  frankness  he  had 
said  : 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Lottie  ?  You  are 
not  a  bit  like  Aunty  Jane  to-day.  I  wish  you  could 
stay  one  thing  two  days  together." 

As  may  be  imagined,  these  remarks  did  not  con 
duce  to  Lottie's  sereneness.  She  did  not  understand 
herself;  nor  why  she  felt  so  miserable  and  out  of 
sorts.  She  had  fallen  into  the  "  slough  of  despond," 
and  was  experiencing  that  depression  which  usually 
follows  overwrought  emotional  states,  and  —  her 
knight  had  disappointed  her. 

Having  learned  that  the  ice  was  firm,  and  assisted 
her  little  brother  in  putting  on  his  skates,  instead  of 
returning  at  once  to  the  house,  she  sat  down  in  a  lit- 


4H  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

tie  screening  clump  of  hemlocks,  and  gave  way  to  her 
feelings  in  a  manner  not  uncommon  with  girls  of  her 
mercurial  temperament. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  Hemstead,  gazing  list 
lessly  from  his  window,  saw  their  departure,  and  soon 
afterward  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  fresh  air  would 
do  his  head-ache  more  good  than  moping  in  his 
room.  By  a  not  unnatural  coincidence,  his  steps 
tended  in  the  same  direction  as  theirs,  and  soon  he 
found  Dan  sprawling  about  the  pond  in  great  glee 
over  his  partial  success  in  skating ;  but  Lottie  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  But  a  sound  from  the  clump 
of  evergreens  soon  gained  his  attention,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  he  stood  at  the  entrance  of  her  wintry 
bower,  the  very  embodiment  of  sympathy,  and  won 
dering  greatly  at  her  distress. 

A  stick  snapped  under  his  tread,  and  Lottie 
looked  up  hastily,  dashing  the  tears  right  and  left. 

"  What  did  you  come  for?"  she  asked  brusquely. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  say  in  truth — I  wanted 
to.  I  hope  you  won't  send  me  away." 

"  You  ought  to  have  given  me  a  little  warn 
ing,  and  not  caught  me  crying  like  a  great  baby  as 
I  am."  N 

"  I  wish  I  were  your  friend,"  he  said  humbly. 

"  Why  so." 

"  Because  you  would  then  tell  me  your  trouble, 
and  let  me  try  to  comfort  you." 

"  I  haven't  any  trouble  worth  naming.  I've  just 
been  crying  like  a  foolish  child  because  I  was  out  of 
sorts.  There,  don't  look  at  me  so  with  your  great, 


HEMSTEAD'S  ADVICE.  415 

kind  eyes,  or  I  will  cry  again,  and  I  am  ashamed  of 
myself  now." 

"  Something  is  troubling  you,  Miss  Marsden,  and 
I  shall  be  very  unhappy  if  you  send  me  away  with 
out  letting  me  help  you." 

"You  would  think  me  a  fool  if  I  told  you,"  she 
faltered. 

"  No  one  will  ever  charge  you  with  being  that." 

She  gave  him  another  of  her  quick,  strange  looks, 
like  the  one  she  fixed  upon  him  when  he  first  moved 
her  to  tears  by  weaving  about  her  the  "spell  of 
truth."  It  was  a  look  akin  to  that  of  a  child  who 
learns  by  an  intuitive  glance  whom  it  may  trust. 
After  a  moment,  she  said : 

"  If  you  were  less  kind,  less  simple  and  sincere,  I 
would  indeed  send  you  away,  and  not  very  amiably 
either,  I  fear.  And  yet  I  would  like  a  few  crumbs 
of  comfort.  I  scarcely  understand  myself.  Monday 
and  yesterday  I  was  so  strangely  happy  that  I  seemed 
to  have  entered  on  a  new  life,  and  to-day  I  am  as 
wicked  and  miserable  a  little  sinner  as  ever  breathed. 
The  idea  of  my  being  a  Christian — never  was  farther 
from  it.  I've  had  nothing  but  mean  and  hateful 
thoughts  since  I  awoke." 

"  And  is  this  not  a  '  trouble  worth  naming '  ? 
In  my  judgment  it  is  a  most  serious  one." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  she  said  gratefully.  "  But 
then  I'm  provoked  that  I  can  be  so  changeable.  Dan 
just  said  *  I  wish  you  could  be  the  same  two  days 
together/  and  so  do  I." 

"  Let  us  look  into  this  matter,"  he  said,  sympa- 


41 6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

thetically,  sitting  down  in  a  companionable  way  on 
the  fallen  tree  beside  her.  "  Let  us  try  to  disen 
tangle  this  web  of  complex  and  changing  feeling. 
As  the  physician  treats  the  disordered  body,  you 
know  it  is  my  cherished  calling  to  minister  to  the 
disquieted  mind.  The  first  step  is  to  discover  the 
cause  of  trouble,  if  possible,  and  remove  that.  Can  you 
not  think  of  some  cause  of  your  present  feelings  ?  " 

Lottie  averted  her  face  in  dismay,  and  thought 
"  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  can't  tell  him  the  cause." 

"  Because  you  see,"  continued  Hemstead,  in  the 
most  philosophical  spirit,  "  when  anything  unpleas 
ant  and  depressing  occurs,  one  of  your  temperament 
is  apt  to  take  a  gloomy,  morbid  view  of  everything 
for  a  time." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,"  she  said  faintly. 

"  Now,  I  see  no  proof,"  he  continued,  with  reas 
suring  heartiness,  "  that  you  are  not  a  Christian 
because  you  are  unhappy,  or  even  because  you  have 
had  *  hateful  thoughts,'  as  you  call  them.  You  evi 
dently  do  not  welcome  these  *  hateful  thoughts.' 
The  question  as  to  whether  you  are  a  Christian,  is 
to  be  settled  on  entirely  different  grounds.  Have 
you  thrown  off  allegiance  to  that  most  merciful  and 
sympathetic  of  friends  that  you  led  me  to  see  last 
Sunday  as  vividly  as  I  now  see  you  ?  " 

Lottie  shook  her  head,  but  said  remorsefully, 
"  But  I  have  scarcely  thought  of  Him  to-day." 

"  Rest  assured,  He  has  thought  of  you.  I  now 
understand  how  He  has  sympathy  for  the  least  grief 
of  the  least  of  His  children." 


HEM  STEAD'S  ADVICE.  417 

"  If  I  am  one,  I  am  the  very  least  one  of  all," 
she  said  humbly. 

"  I  like  that,"  he  replied  with  a  smile  ;  "  Paul  said 
he  was  the  *  chief  of  sinners '  and  he  meant  it  too. 
That  was  an  excellent  symptom." 

A  glimmer  of  a  smile  dawned  on  Lottie's  face. 

"  And  now,"  he  continued  hesitatingly  as  if 
approaching  a  delicate  subject,  "  I  think  I  know  the 
cause  of  your  trouble  and  depression.  Will  you 
permit  me  to  speak  of  it  ?  " 

Again  she  averted  her  face  in  confusion,  but  said 
faintly : 

"  As  my  spiritual  physician  I  suppose  you  must." 

"  I  think  you  naturally  felt  greatly  disappointed 
that  Mr.  De  Forrest  acted  the  part  he  did  last  eve 
ning." 

This  speech  put  Lottie  at  ease  at  once,  and  she 
turned  to  him  in  apparent  frankness,  but  with  some 
thing  of  her  old  insincerity,  and  said  : 

"  I  confess  that  I  was." 

"You  could  not  be  otherwise,"  he  said,  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  What  would  you  advise  me  to  do  ?  "  she  asked 
demurely. 

It  was  now  his  turn  to  be  embarrassed,  and  he 
found  that  he  had  got  himself  into  a  dilemma.  The 
color  deepened  in  his  face  as  he  hesitated  how  to 
answer.  She  watched  him  furtively  but  searchingly. 
At  last  he  said,  with  sudden  impetuosity  as  if  he  could 
not  restrain  himself: 

"  I  would  either  make  a  man  of  him  or  break 
18* 


41 8  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

with  him  forever.  It's  horrible  that  a  girl  like  you 
should  be  irrevocably  bound  to  such — pardon  me." 

Again  Lottie  averted  her  face,  while  a  dozen  rain 
bows  danced  in  her  moist  eyes. 

But  she  managed  to  say,  "  Which  do  you  think  I 
had  better  do." 

He  tried  to  catch  her  eye,  but  she  would  not  per 
mit  him.  After  a  moment  he  sprang  up  and  said, 
with  something  of  her  own  brusqueness. 

"  You  had  better  follow  your  own  heart." 

"  That  is  what  Mrs.  Dlimm  said,"  she  exclaimed, 
struck  by  the  coincidence.  "  You  and  Mrs.  Dlimm 
are  alike  in  many  respects,  but  I  fear  the  world  would 
not  regard  either  of  you  as  the  best  of  counsellors." 

"  Whenever  I  have  taken  counsel  of  the  world,  I 
have  got  into  trouble,  Miss  Marsden." 

'*  There,  that  is  just  what  she  said  again.  Are 
you  two  in  collusion  ?  " 

"  Only  as  all  truth  agrees  with  itself,"  he  an 
swered,  laughing. 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  would  be  best  to  follow  the 
advice  of  two  such  sincere  counsellors,  who  are  richly 
gifted  with  the  wisdom  of  the  other  world,  if  not  of 
this.  Your  talk  has  done  me  more  good  than  I  could 
have  believed.  How  is  it  that  it  always  turns  out 
so  ?  I'm  inclined  to  think  that  your  pastoral  visits 
will  do  more  good  than  your  sermons." 

"  Now  have  pity  on  me,  in  regard  to  that 
wretched  sermon.  But  I  know  of  something  that 
will  do  you  more  good  than  either,  in  your  present 
depression.  Will  you  wait  for  me  ten  minutes  ?  " 


HEMSTEAD'S  ADVICE.  419 

"  Yes,  longer  than  that/'  she  said,  with  a  little 
emphatic  nod. 

He  at  once  started  for  the  house  with  great  strides. 

"  My  '  depression'  is  not  very  great  at  the  pres 
ent  moment,"  she  chirped,  and  giving  a  spring  she 
alighted  on  the  fallen  tree  as  a  bird  might.  "  I 
had  i  better  follow  my  own  heart/  had  I  ?  Was 
there  ever  more  delightful  doctrine  than  that  ?  But 
bless  me,  whither  is  it  leading?  I  dare  not  think, 
and  I  won't  think." 

And  so  to  keep  herself  warm  while  waiting ;  she 
balanced  up  and  down  on  the  fallen  tree,  trilling 
snatches  of  song  as  a  red-breasted  robin  might 
twitter  on  its  spray. 

Soon  she  saw  her  ghostly  adviser  speeding  toward 
her  in  another  guise.  A  stout  rocking-chair  was  on 
his  shoulder  and  skates  dangling  from  his  hand,  and 
she  ran  to  meet  him  with  anticipating  delight.  A 
little  later,-  Dan,  who  had  been  oblivious  of  proceed 
ings  thus  far,  was  startled  by  seeing  Lottie  rush  by 
him,  comfortably  ensconced  on  a  rocking-chair  and 
propelled  by  Hemstead's  powerful  strokes.  This  was 
a  great  change  for  the  better,  in  his  estimation,  and 
he  hailed  it  vociferously.  Hemstead  good-naturedly 
put  the  boy  in  his  sister's  lap,  and  then  sent  them 
whirling  about  the  pond,  in  a  way  that  almost  took 
their  breaths.  But  he  carefully  shielded  them  from 
accidents. 

"  It's  strange  how  you  can  be  so  strong,  and  yet 
so  gentle,"  said  Lottie,  gratefully  looking  up  at  him 
over  her  shoulder. 


420  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  haven't  the  faintest  wish  to  harm  you,"  he 
replied,  smiling. 

"  That  I  should  ever  have  wished  to  harm  him  !  " 
she  thought,  with  a  twinge  of  remorse. 

After  a  half-hour  of  grand  sport,  the  setting  sun 
reminded  them  that  it  was  time  to  return. 

"  How  do  you  feel  now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  My  face  must  be  your  answer,"  she  said,  turning 
to  him  features  glowing  with  exercise  and  happiness. 

"  A  beautiful  answer,"  he  said  impulsively.  "  In 
color  and  brightness  it  is  the  reflection  of  the  sunset 
there." 

"  I  admit,"  she  answered  shyly,  "  that  its  bright 
ness  has  a  western  cause.  But  speaking  of  color 
reminds  me  of  something;"  and  her  eyes  twinkled 
most  mirthfully,  as  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  some 
thing  around  his  neck.  "  What  have  you  done  with 
my  '  colors/  that  I  gave  you  last  night  ?  I  know  you 
wore  them  figuratively  in  your  face  this  morning, 
when  Miss  Martell  so  enchanted  you ;  but  where  are 
they,  literally  ?  Now  a  knight  is  supposed  to  be 
very  careful  of  a  lady's  colors  if  he  accepts  them." 

"  I  have  been ;  and  Miss  Martell  has  never  seen 
your  colors." 

"  Oh,  those  so  manifest  this  morning  were  hers. 
I  understand  now.  But  where  are  mine  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you.     But  they  are  safe." 

"  You  threw  them  away." 

"  Never." 

"  Why,  then,  can't  you  tell  me  where  they 
are  ?  " 


HEMSTEAD*  S  ADVICE.  421 

"Because — because.  Well  —  I  can't;  so  you 
need  not  ask  me." 

"  If  you  don't  tell  me,  I'll  find  out  for  myself." 

"  You  cannot,"  he  said  confidently. 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  what  is  that  queer  crimson 
fringe  rising  above  your  collar  ?  " 

He  put  his  hand  hastily  to  his  neck,  and  felt  the 
ribbon  that  his  stooping  posture  and  violent  exercise 
had  forced  into  a  prominence  that  defied  further 
concealment ;  then  turned  away  laughing,  and,  with 
his  face  now  vying  with  the  sunset,  said  : 

"  You  have  caught  one  ostrich  hiding  with  its 
head  in  the  sand." 

Her  merry  laugh  trilled  like  the  song  of  a  bird, 
as  she  exclaimed  : 

"  O  guilt,  guilt,  the  western  sky  is  pale  compared 
with  thy  cheeks." 

Then,  taking  his  arm  in  a  way  that  would  have 
won  an  anchorite,  she  added,  with  a  dainty  blending 
of  mischief  and  meaning,  "  I,  too,  am  an  ostrich  to 
night — that  is,  in  my  appetite.  I  am  ravenous  for 
supper." 

"  '  I,  too,  am  an  ostrich  ! '  What  did  she  mean  by 
that  ?  '  '  and  Hemstead  pondered  over  this  ornitho 
logical  problem  for  hours  after. 


422  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

AROUND   THE  YULE   LOG. 

E>TTIE'S  radiant  face  at  supper,  in  contrast  with 
her  clouded  one  at  dinner,  again  puzzled  cer 
tain  members  of  the  household;  and  De  Forrest,  to 
his  disgust,  learned  that  while  he  slept  she  had  again 
been  with  Hemstead.  He  resolved  on  sleepless 
vigilance  till  the  prize  was  secured,  and  mentally 
cursed  the  ill-starred  visit  to  the  country  over  .and 
over  again. 

Bel  was  cool  and  cynical  outwardly,  but  was  really 
perplexed  as  to  what  ought  to  be  done.  With  all 
her  faults  she  had  a  sincere  affection  for  her  friend, 
and  was  shrewd  enough  to  perceive  that  this  affair 
with  Hemstead  promised  to  be  more  serious  than 
Lottie's  passing  penchants  had  been  previously. 
But  with  her  usual  weakness  and  irresolution  she 
hesitated  and  waited,  Micawber-like,  to  see  what 
would  "  turn  up." 

The  impression  grew  on  Mrs.  Marchmont  that 
Lottie  was  fascinating  her  nephew ;  and  yet,  just 
how  to  interfere  she  did  not  see.  It  was  rather  deli 
cate  business  to  speak,  with  nothing  more  tangible 
than  what  she  had  yet  seen.  That  Lottie  herself 
was  becoming  sincerely  attached  to  a  young  man  of 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  423 

Frank's  calling  and  prospects,  could  not  occur  to  a 
lady  of  Mrs.  Marchmont's  ideas  of  propriety  and  fit 
ness  of  things.  It  was  only  Lottie's  "  inveterate 
disposition  to  flirt."  As  to  Lottie's  "  moods  and 
emotions,"  she  smiled  at  them  with  cool  indifference, 
as  far  as  she  noticed  them  at  all.  "  Young  people 
pass  through  such  phases  as  they  do  the  measles," 
she  was  accustomed  to  say. 

Addie  was  too  wrapped  up  in  herself  to  think 
much  about  others. 

Save  queer,  little,  chuckling  laughs,  which  no  one 
understood,  Mr.  Dimmerly  gave  no  sign  that  he 
noted  anything  unusual  going  on. 

Besides,  Lottie  was  very  circumspect  when  in  the 
presence  of  others,  and  Hemstead  unconsciously  fol 
lowed  the  suggestion  of  her  manner.  Thus  even 
lynx-eyed  Bel  could  seldom  lay  her  finger  on  any 
thing  and  say,  Here  is  something  conclusive. 

But  if  ever  there  was  an  earthly  elysium,  Hem- 
stead  and  Lottie  dwelt  in  it  during  the  remainder  of 
that  week.  Not  that  they  were  much  together,  or 
had  much  to  say  to  each  other  by  word  of  mouth. 
Scarcely  another  opportunity  occurred  for  one  of 
their  momentous  private  talks,  for  De  Forrest's  vigi 
lance  had  become  sleepless  indeed. 

Besides,  Hemstead  was  shut  up  in  his  room  most 
of  the  time,  engaged  on  another  sermon.  For  Dr. 
Beams  was  quite  ill,  and  the  student  had  been  asked 
to  preach  again.  He  gladly  complied  with  the  re 
quest,  for  he  was  most  anxious  to  correct  the  dreary 
impression  he  had  made  the  previous  Sabbath. 


424  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Lottie,  too,  was  much  in  her  room,  at  work  on  some 
thing  which  no  one  was  permitted  to  see.  But  little 
was  thought  of  this,  for  the  house  was  full  of  the 
mystery  that  always  prevails  just  before  Christmas. 
Every  one  was  cherishing  innocent,  and  often  trans 
parent,  little  secrets,  which  were  soon  to  be  pro 
claimed,  if  not  on  the  "  house-top,"  on  the  tree-top 
of  the  fragrant  cedar  that  already  had  been  selected 
and  arranged  in  the  back  parlor,  suggesting  to  all,  the 
blessedness  of  both  giving  and  receiving. 

And  yet,  while  seemingly  separated,  what  mo 
ment  passed  when  they  were  not  together  ?  How 
vain  was  De  Forrest's  vigilance — how  futile  Mrs. 
Marchmont's  precautions.  Lottie  was  the  muse  that 
sat  at  Hemstead's  side  ;  and  every  time  he  lifted  his 
eyes  from  the  paper  his  vivid  fancy  saw  her  face 
glowing  like  the  sunset,  and  beaming  upon  him.  She 
inspired  his  sermon.  Unconsciously,  he  wrote  it  for 
her  alone,  letting  her  need  and  spiritual  state  color 
the  line  of  thought  which  his  text  naturally  suggested  ; 
and  a  fresh,  hope-imparting,  Christmas  sermon  it 
promised  to  be  —  a  veritable  Gospel.  He  uncon 
sciously  was  learning  the  priceless  advantage  to  a  cler 
gyman  of  pastoral  visitation  ;  for,  in  discovering  and 
meeting  the  needs  of  one  heart,  nearly  all  are  touched 
— so  near  akin  is  humanity. 

And  as  Lottie  stitched  away  at  an  odd  bit  of  fancy 
work — very  different  from  anything  that  had  ever 
taxed  her  dainty  skill  before — strange  gleams  flitted 
across  her  face.  At  times  her  eyes  would  sparkle 
with  mirth  as  she  lived  over  scenes  in  which  the  stu- 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  42$ 

dent  was  ever  the  chief  actor ;  and  again  she  would 
grow  pale,  and  her  breath  come  quick  and  short,  as 
her  fancy  portrayed  him — when  in  the  darkness  he 
could  not  have  been  seen  by  human  eyes — far  out 
among  the  ice  upon  the  river.  Then  again  her  face 
would  grow  comically  pitiful,  as  she  murmured  : 

"  I  could  have  brought  him  to  quicker  than  uncle. 
I  could  have  given  him  a  stimulant  more  potent  than 
the  forty-year-old  brandy  of  which  uncle  is  so  proud. 
I've  found  out  my  power  over  him." 

Then  her  face  would  light  up  with  exultation  as 
she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  it's  grand  to  have  such  power 
over  a  strong,  richly-endowed  man — to  be  able  to 
move  and  play  upon  him  at  your  will  by  some  mystic 
influence  too  subtle  for  prying  eyes  to  see.  I  can 
lift  him  into  the  skies  by  a  smile.  I  can  cast  him 
into  the  depths  by  a  frown.  If  I  but  touch  his  hand, 
the  giant  trembles.  .  He  would  be  a  Hercules  in  my 
service,  and  yet  I've  got  him  just  there  " — and  she 
depressed  her  little  thumb  as  confidently  as  a  Roman 
empress  might  to  some  gladiatorial  slave. 

Then  her  face  would  change  in  quick  and  piquant 
transition  to  the  expression  of  equally  comic  distress, 
as  she  sighed,  "  But,  alas  !  where  am  I  ?  Right  under 
his  big  thumb,  whether  he  knows  it  or  not.  How  it 
all  will  end  I  dare  not  think." 

When  her  jewelled  watch  indicated  that  the  time 
for  dinner  or  supper  was  near,  she  would  make  the 
most  bewitching  of  toilets,  and  laugh  at  herself  for 
doing  so,  querying : 


FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

u  What  is  the  use  of  conquering  one  over  and  over 
again,  who  is  already  helpless  at  your  feet." 

And  yet  the  admiration  of  Hemstead's  beauty- 
loving  eyes  was  sweeter  incense  than  all  the  flattery 
she  had  ever  received  before. 

And  what  hours  of  dainty,  ethereal  banqueting 
were  those  prosaic  meals  in  Mrs.  Marchmont's  din 
ing-room.  The  corpulent,  colored  waiter  served  the 
others,  but  airy-winged  love  attended  them,  bearing 
from  one  to  another  glances,  tones,  accents,  of  the 
divinest  flavor. 

De  Forrest  noted  and  chafed  over  this  subtle 
interchange.  Bel  and  Mrs.  Marchmont  saw  it  also, 
and  Mr.  Dimmerly's  queer  chuckling  laugh  was 
heard  with  increasing  frequency.  But  what  could  be 
done?  Lottie's  and  Hemstead's  actions  were  pro 
priety  itself.  Mrs.  Marchmont  could  not  say,  "  You 
must  not  look  at  or  speak  to  each  other."  They 
might  as  well  have  sought  to  prevent  two  clouds  in 
a  summer  sky  from  exchanging  their  lightnings. 

Hemstead  was  in  a  maze.  The  past  and  future 
had  lost  their  existence  to  him,  and  he  was  living  in 
the  glorified  present.  He  no  more  coolly  realized 
the  situation  than  would  one  in  an  ecstatic  trance. 
In  one  sense  he  verified  the  popular  superstition, 
and  was  bewitched  ;  and,  with  the  charming  witch 
ever  near  to  weave  a  new  spell  a  dozen  times  a  day, 
how  could  he  disentangle  himself?  He  was  too  inno 
cent,  too  unhackneyed,  to  understand  what  was  going 
on  in  his  own  heart.  When  the  hitherto  unknown 
and  ecstatic  bliss  of  Paradise  thrills  the  heart,  will 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  427 

analysis   be   the   first  effort   of  the  weary  pilgrims 
who  at  last  have  reached  their  rest  ? 

The  days  and  the  hours  fled  away  until  Satur 
day — the  day  before  Christmas — came.  By  noon, 
Hemstead  had  finished  his  sermon,  and  Lottie  had 
completed  her  mysterious  fancy-work;  and  they 
both  were  ready  for  the  festivities  of  Christmas 
eve. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  was  a  great  stickler  for  the  old  Eng 
lish  customs,  and  always  had  the  Yule  Log  brought 
in  with  great  ceremony.  With  his  own  hands  he 
suspended  the  mistletoe  from  the  chandelier  in  the 
hall,  which  he  always  obtained  from  Dimmerly 
Manor  in  England.  Lottie,  without  thinking,  stood 
beneath,  watching  him,  when,  with  a  spryness  not  in 
keeping  with  his  years,  he  sprang  down  and  gave  her 
a  sounding  smack  in  honor  of  the  ancient  custom. 

"  There,"  said  he,  "  that  pays  me  for  all  my 
trouble  and  expense.  But  you  will  get  another  kiss 
here  that  you  will  like  better,  from  some  one  else, 
before  I  take  the  mistletoe  down." 

"Well,  uncle,"  said  Lottie,  laughing  and  rubbing 
her  tingling  cheek,  "  I  hope  it  won't  be  such  an  ex 
plosion  as  yours  was,  or  it  will  alarm  the  house 
hold." 

"  Be  careful,  or  it  may  attract  more  attention  than 
mine  ;  "  and  he  departed  with  his  queer,  chuckling 
laugh. 

Lottie  looked  after  him  with  sudden  intelligence* 
and  asked  herself,  "  Now,  what  does  he  mean  by 
that?  Does  he  suspect  anything  ?  " 


FROM  JEST    TO   EARNEST. 

At  the  dinner-table  Mr.  Dimmerly  indulged  in  a 
long  homily  on  the  importance  of  keeping  up  old 
customs,  and  ended  with  a  sly,  significant  glance  at 
Lottie  which  brought  the  color  into  her  face.  But 
during  the  afternoon  she  foiled  all  the  devices  of  De 
Forrest  to  get  her  under  the  mistletoe  bough,  and 
yet  with  such  grace  that,  however  disappointed, 
he  could  not  become  angry.  As  for  Hemstead,  he 
was  far  too  diffident  to  attempt  any  such  strategy, 
much  as  he  would  like  to  solemnize  the  vener 
able  rite. 

And  so  at  last  Christmas  eve  came  ;  and  with  it  a 
few  guests.  Harcourt  and  Miss  Martell  had  been 
specially  invited  ;  for  the  fact  of  their  engagement 
had  transpired  at  once,  and  Mrs.  Marchmont  hast 
ened  to  assure  them,  by  this  invitation,  that  she  had 
no  regrets  or  resentment.  Not  for  the  world  would 
she  have  Miss  Martell  imagine  that  any  maternal  pro 
jects  had  been  frustrated. 

Harcourt,  graceful  for  all  the  kindness  he  had 
received  at  Mrs.  Marchmont's,  induced  Alice  to 
accept ;  and  so  their  illumined  faces  were  added  to 
the  circle  that  gathered  around  the  yule  log  in  the 
large  dining-room  that  had  been  cleared  for  games 
and  dancing. 

And  in  spite  of  the  incongruous  elements  compos 
ing  that  circle,  it  made,  with  the  crackling  fire  play 
ing  on  happy  faces  and  Christmas  decorations,  a 
pretty  picture — one  that  might  convert  a  pagan  into 
willingness  to  honor  the  chief  Christian  festival. 
After  some  old-fashioned  country  dances — through 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  429 

which  even  Hemstead  had  been  induced  to  blunder,  to 
Lottie's  infinite  delight — they  sat  down  to  nuts,  apples, 
and  cider.  Billets  of  hickory  were  piled  higher  than 
ever  against  the  great  yule  log  ;  and  never  did  the 
sacred  flame  light  up  fairer  and  happier  faces  than 
those  of  Alice  Martell  and  Lottie  Marsden.  And 
yet  they  were  as  different  as  could  be.  One  was  the 
lily,  and  the  other  the  rose.  Harcourt  and  Hem- 
stead  also  looked  as  if  some  angelic  messenger  had 
brought  them  "  tidings  of  great  joy." 

Harcourt  and  Alice  sat  together  ;  but  Lottie,  with 
seeming  perverseness,  got  as  far  away  as  possible.  But 
it  was  only  seeming,  for  she  sat  where  she  could  look 
Hemstead  full  in  the  face,  and,  with  her  brilliant 
eyes,  indulge  in  love's  mystic  telegraphy  without 
restraint. 

Now  was  the  time  for  Mr.  Dimmerly  to  shine  out ; 
and  he  proposed  that  some  one  should  commence 
a  story,  and  carry  it  forward  to  a  certain  point,  then 
stop  abruptly,  while  some  one  else  took  it  up  for  a 
brief  time,  when,  in  like  manner,  it  would  again  be 
dropped  that  another  might  continue  it,  so  that  each 
one  who  was  willing  might  have  a  chance  to  con 
tribute. 

"  You  commence,  Mr.  Harcourt,"  said  Mr.  Dim 
merly. 

After  a  preface  of  hemming,  the  young  man 
said : 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  in  a  village  in  the  south  of 
France,  it  was  arranged  that  there  should  be  a  gen 
eral  fete  and  dance  on  the  village  green  the  after- 


43°  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

noon  before  Christmas.  Little  Ninon  was  a  peas 
ant's  daughter,  and  she  was  only  fourteen.  If  she 
were  petite,  she  was  also  piquant  and  pretty — " 

"  Very  good,  very  good,"  cried  a  chorus  of  voices  ; 
and  a  round  of  applause  stimulated  the  narrator. 

"  But,  until  this  occasion,  Ninon  had  always  been 
kept  at  home  as  a  child  ;  but,  after  interminable  coax 
ings,  she  obtained  her  mother's  permission  to  go  to 
the  fete.  Now  her  mother  was  a  widow,  and  it  so 
happened  that  she  could  not  go  with  her  daughter, 
and  after  she  had  given  her  consent,  had  not  one 
whom  she  could  send  with  her  child  as  a  protector. 
But  Ninon  was  in  such  glee  that  her  mother  had 
not  the  heart  to  take  back  her  promise. 

"  *  Now,  mother,  tell  me  what  shall  I  say  when  the 
boys,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  very  young  men,  ask 
me  to  dance  with  them  ?  ' 

"  *  Say,  I'm  only  a  little  child  who  have  come  to 
see.  Go  thy  ways.' 

"  *  But  suppose  they  don't  go  their  ways/  pouted 
Ninon. 

"  '  Go  thine  then,  and  come  home.' 

"  '  Now,  mother  dear,  am  I  not  almost  old  enough 
to  have  a  lover  ? ' 

" '  Lover  indeed !  Silly  child,  but  yesterday  I 
rocked  thee  in  the  cradle  there.  I'm  a  fool  to  let 
thee  go.' 

"  Then  Ninon,  in  fear,  kept  still,  lest  her  mother 
should  change  her  mind,  a  thing  which  women  some 
times  do,  even  in  France — " 

"  Now,  I  protest  against  innuendoes,"  cried  Lottie. 


AROUND    THE    YULE    LOG.  431 

"  It  is  the  Frenchman,  as  it  is  man  all  over  the  world, 
who  changes  his  mind.  Adam  first  said  he  wouldn't 
eat  the  apple,  and  then  he  did  !  " 

"  Where's  your  authority  for  that  ?  "  said  Harcourt. 

"  It's  in  the  Bible,"  answered  Lottie  stoutly  ;  at 
which  there  was  a  great  explosion. 

"  Miss  Marsden  equals  modern  commentators  in 
amplifying  the  text,"  laughed  Hemstead. 

"  Well,"  persisted  Lottie,  "  if  it  isn't  just  so  writ 
ten,-!  know  enough  of  human  nature  to  be  sure 
that  was  just  how  it  happened." 

"  On  with  the  story,"  cried  Mr.  Dimmerly. 
"  Come,  Miss  Martell." 

"  The  afternoon  of  the  fete  came,"  said  Alice, 
and  Ninon's  mother  was  depressed  with  a  boding  of 
evil. 

" '  Whom  shall  I  send  with  thee,  my  child  ?  My 
heart  fails  me  in  sending  thee  alone.' 

"  '  Little  brother  Pierre  shall  go  with  me,'  said 
Ninon.  '  He's  an  odd  child,  and  talks  to  the  saints 
and  angels  more  than  to  us.  If  he  goes  with  me,  the 
saints  will  take  care  of  us  both.' 

"  This  seemed  to  strike  the  mother  as  true,  and  she 
was  comforted ;  and  the  pale,  little  boy,  with  large, 
spiritual  eyes  that  appeared  to  look  into  the  other 
world,  took  his  sister's  hand  without  even  a  smile  flit 
ting  across  his  sad  face  ;  and  they  started  for  the  fete." 
"  Now,  Miss  Marchmont,"  said  Miss  Martell,  with 
a  graceful  inclination  to  Addie. 

"  And  the  pale  little  boy,  with  big,  owl-like  eyes," 
continued  Addie  flippantly,  "  stalked  along,  as  if 


432  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

going  to  a  funeral,  while  Ninon  tripped  and  danced  at 
his  side.  But  soon  the  young  girl's  steps  grew  slower 
and  slower,  and  her  face  thoughtful,  and  she  began 
to  question  her  mother's  words — that  she  was  too 
much  of  a  child  to  have  a  lover  ;  and.  by  the  time  she 
reached  the  village  green,  she  gave  her  pretty  head 
a  toss  as  she  said,  '  We'll  see  about  this.  Mother 
doesn't  know  everything.'  ' 

"  Now  Bel." 

"  But  poor  little  Ninon,"  said  Bel,  "  soon  became 
sadly  bewildered,  for  there  were  so  many  people  all 
talking  at  once,  and  they  pushed  against  and  jostled 
her  as  if  she  were  very  small  and  insignificant  indeed, 
and  she  began  to  think  that  her  mother  was  right, 
and  that  she  was  only  a  child ;  and  she  grew  fright 
ened  and  wished  herself  home  again.  But  she  kept 
fast  hold  of  the  hand  of  her  brother  whom  the  saints 
loved,  and  felt  that  as  long  as  he  was  with  her  she 
was  safe.  Finally  they  were  pushed  and  jostled  to 
a  quiet  nook  on  the  edge  of  the  green,  under  a  tree, 
and  here  they  sat  down.  Soon  the  dancing  com 
menced,  and  Ninon  amused  herself  by  criticising  the 
people  and  making  remarks  to  her  brother  about 
their  dress  and  manner.  But  he  did  not  seem  to 
hear  her,  and  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  sky,  as  if 
he  saw  more  that  was  wonderful  there  than  she  upon 
the  village  green." 

"  Mr.  De  Forrest,  you  next.  " 

"  But  as  Ninon  sat  there  smiling  and  talking  more 
to  herself  than  to  her  queer  little  brother,  who  didn't 
listen,  the  young  men  began  to  notice  her,  and  to 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  433 

nudge  each  other  and  ask  who  she  was  ;  for  in  truth 
she  reminded  every  one  of  a  half-blown  rose.  But 
no  one  knew  who  she  was,  and  no  one  had  ever  seen 
her  before.  Then  the  handsomest  young  man  in  the 
village — indeed  he  was  the  one  at  which  all  the  girls 
were  setting  their  caps — stepped  forward  and  took  a 
deliberate  survey,  and  soon  was  convinced  that,  among 
all  the  village  maidens,  there  was  not  a  face  as  fair  as 
Ninon's.  And  while  he  looked  at  her,  Ninon  from 
under  her  long  lashes  as  intently  watched  him.  At 
last  the  young  man  made  up  his  mind,  and  said  to 
himself,  *  I  will  be  her  lover  for  this  afternoon,'  and 
in  a  manner  that  was  the  very  embodiment  of  grace, 
he  stepped  up  to  her  and  said  : 

"  '  My  pretty  maiden,  wilt  dance  with  me  ?  ' ' 
And  De  Forrest  bowed  to  Lottie  to  continue. 
It  was  strange  how  the  foolish  little  story  was 
gaining  the  breathless  interest  of  all  present — all  the 
more  so  because  each  one  was  unconsciously  coloring 
their  bit  of  the  mosaic  with  his  or  her  individuality. 
Lottie's  manner  by  no  means  tended  to  allay  this 
interest,  as  she  began  her  part  of  the  impromptu 
tale.  She  was  a  natural  actress,  and,  for  the  moment, 
became  little  Ninon.  The  scene  had  become  present 
to  her  vivid  fancy,  and  by  some  process  that  cannot 
be  explained,  she  impressed  it  upon  the  minds  of  the 
others  as  real.  They  saw  the  crowded  village  green, 
the  petite  little  maiden  and  her  weird  brother  sitting 
upon  its  edge  as  she  began. 

"  And   Ninon  shyly  raised  her  dark  eyes  to  the 
face  of  the  handsomest  young  man  of  all  the  village, 
19 


434  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

at  whom   the  girls  were  setting  their  caps,  and  said, 
a  trifle  coldly:  " 

"  <  I'm  only  a  little  child  who  has  come  to  see. 
Go  thy  ways.' 

"  And  the  handsome  young  man  stalked  away, 
haughty  and  offended,  and  the  youth  of  the  village 
nudged  each  other  and  smiled  and  wondered  and 
said,  '  She  must  be  a  princess  in  disguise,  or  she 
would  dance  with  him  whom  all  the  girls  covet.'  So 
no  one  else  would  venture  to  speak  to  her.  But 
Ninon  for  awhile  was  content  to  be  left  alone  to 
watch  all  the  funny  people  and  their  funny  ways. 
She  didn't  see  any  one  that  she  wanted  to  dance 
with. 

"  At  last  she  became  conscious  that  one  who 
seemed  a  stranger  like  herself  was  watching  her,  and 
she  began  to  look  curiously  at  him.  A.t  first  she  did 
not  like  his  looks  at  all.  His  dress  was  very  plain  ; 
not  a  bit  smart  and  gay  like  that  of  the  other  young 
men.  Besides,  he  was  so  tall  and  grave  ;  and  once, 
when  some  one  said  a  rude  word  to  him,  his  eyes 
were  so  fiery  that  Ninon  was  afraid  of  him.  But  a 
moment  later,  when  his  eyes  rested  on  her,  they 
became  so  kind  and  gentle  that  she  wondered  how 
it  could  be.  Then  she  began  to  grow  sorry  for  him 
because,  like  herself,  he  was  a  str.anger  and  had  no 
one  to  talk  to.  But  he  seemed  in  quest  of  some  one, 
for  he  would  look  all  around  among  the  people;  but 
soon  his  eyes  would  come  back  and  rest  so  wistfully 
upon  her  face  as  if  she  were  the  one  he  was  looking 
for  after  all.  This  puzzled  Ninon  greatly  and  she 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  435 

asked  herself,  Now,  can  it  be  that  I  am  the  one  he's 
looking  for?  At  last  it  seemed  that  the  stranger 
wished  to  speak  to  her,  but  hadn't  the  courage,  and 
this  amused  Ninon  vastly.  Twice  he  advanced,  fal 
tered,  and  then  retreated.  Ninon  was  convulsed  with 
laughter  and  whjspered  : 

"  '  Oh,  Pierre,  isn't  this  the  funniest  thing  that 
ever  was  in  this  great  world.  That  big  man  there, 
is  afraid  of  me — little  Ninon.' 

"  Then  she  saw  that  he  thought  she  was  laughing 
at  him,  and  that  he  had  straightened  himself  up  stiff 
and  haughty  and  had  looked  the  other  way.  But 
he  couldn't  keep  looking  the  other  way  very  long," 
Lottie  said,  with  an  indescribable  air  that  brought 
out  a  round  of  applause ;  "  and  when  he  timidly 
glanced  toward  her  again,  she  gave  him  such  an  en 
couraging  smile  that  he  came  at  once  to  her  side, 
and  said  : 

"  '  Little  sister,  wilt  walk  with  me  ? ' 

"  A  happy  thought  struck  Ninon.  Her  mother 
had  said  she  was  too  young  to  have  a  lover,  but  noth 
ing  had  been  said  against  her  having  another  brother. 
So,  with  conscience  clear,  she  whispered,  *  Sit  still 
here  till  I  come  back  : '  and  the  little  boy  sat  still 
looking  up  into  the  sky,  while  Ninon  let  the  tall 
stranger  take  her  hand  and  lead  her  away.  But  his 
eyes  were  so  gentle  and  true,  she  lost  all  fear  and 
asked : 

"  '  Why  do  you  call  me  sister?  ' 

"  '  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me,'  he  said.  '  I  came 
here  an  utter  stranger,  and  I  looked  all  around 


FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST, 

among  the  people,  and  their  faces  were  strange,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  that  they  ever  would  be  strange  ; 
but  when  I  saw  your  face,  you  appeared  to  belong  to 
to  me.  I  think  we  must  be  related.' 

"  '  I  never  saw  you  before/  said  Ninon,  shaking 
her  head. 

"  l  I've  seen  you  in  my  dreams  all  my  life,'  he 
replied,  looking  at  her  so  earnestly  that  the  color 
deepened  on  her  cheek. 

" '  I  never  heard  anything  so  queer  in  all  *  my 
life,'  said  Ninon. 

"  '  You  have  much  to  learn,'  said  the  stranger. 

"  '  Yes,'  said  Ninon  humbly;  '  as  mother  says, 
I'm  only  a  little  child.' 

"  *  You  are  not  a  little  child,  you  are  a  beautiful 
maiden,  Ninon,'  said  the  stranger  earnestly. 

"  '  Nonsense,'  she  said  blushingly.  '  I'll  never  be 
that  ?  '  But  she  liked  to  hear  him  say  it,  neverthe 
less,"  Lottie  added,  with  an  accent  that  again  brought 
out  a  round  of  applause. 

"  I'm  taking  too  much  time,"  Lottie  said,  depre- 
catingly. 

"  Go  on,  go  on,"  was  the  unanimous  cry ;  and  her 
little  brother  Dan,  who  had  dropped  nuts  and  apples 
and  was  leaning,  opened-mouthed  on  her  knees,  said  : 

"  Lottie,  if  you  don't  go  on,  I'll  do  something 
dreadful." 

So  Lottie  continued.  "  And  the  tall  stranger 
smiled  down  upon  her  and  said,  '  Violets  are  my  fav 
orite  flower,  and  you  are  a  modest  little  violet.' 

"  '  Now  you  are  wrong  again,'  said  Ninon  ;  '  vio- 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  437 

lets  are  a  pale  blue  flower,  and  my  cheeks  are  burn 
ing  so  oddly — I  never  had  them  do  so  before.  I 
know  I  look  like  the  pionies  in  the  cure's  garden.' 

"  '  You  look  like  the  sweetest  rose  in  the  cure's 
garden.' 

"  '  Is  that  the  way  big  brothers  talk  to  their  little 
sisters  ?  ' 

" '  That  is  the  way  I  talk  to  you,  and  I'm  in  ear 
nest/ 

" '  How  do  little  sisters  treat  a  brother  as  big  as 
you  are  ? ' 

"  '  Well,  for  one  thing,  they  kiss  them.' 

"'That's  queer,'  said  Ninon,  innocently.  'I 
should  think  it  would  be  just  the  other  way.' 

"  *  Now  I  think  of  it,  you  are  right,'  and  the 
stranger  gave  her  a  kiss  that  set  every  nerve  tingling. 

"  *  How  odd/  she  exclaimed,  half-frightened,  half- 
delighted.  '  Pierre  sometimes  kisses  me,  but  I  never 
felt  that  way  before.' 

"  *  And  big  brothers  take  their  little  sisters  in  their 
arms  and  lift  them  over  the  rough  places,  as  I  do.' 

"  And  he  carried  her  over  a  low  stone  wall  that 
separated  them  from  a  shadowy  grove. 

"'Oh,  how  nice,'  sighed  Ninon,  complacently, 
'  I've  always  had  to  get  over  the  rough  places  by 
myself  before.' 

"  '  You  will  no  longer,'  said  the  youth,  as  they 
passed  under  the  low  branches  of  a  sheltering  tree. 
'  Oh,  Ninon,  as  innocent  as  beautiful,  can  you  not  see 
that  I  am  not  your  brother,  but  your  lover ;  "  and  he 
threw  himself  at  her  feet. 


438  FROM  JEST    TO  EARNEST. 

"  But  Ninon  clasped  her  hands  in  the  deepest 
distress,  and  cried,  *  Oh,  why  did  you  say  that  ? 
You  might  have  been  my  brother  as  long  as  you 
chose.  But  mother  says  I  can  have  no  lover — that  I 
am  only  a  child  ; '  and  like  a  startled  fawn  she  fled 
from  him,  and,  a  few  moments  later,  panting  and 
breathless,  was  sitting  again  beside  her  strange,  little 
brother,  who  was  still  looking  into  the  sky  as  if  he 
saw  a  vision. 

"  The  young  stranger  followed  sadly,  thinking  how 
he  might  still  win  her,  and  teach  her  that  she  was  no 
longer  a  child.  Ninon  soon  became  more  composed, 
and  looked  around  as  if  she  would  like  to  see  him 
again.  As  from  a  distance  he  watched  her  from 
under  his  bent  eyebrows,  a  happy  thought  struck 
him,  and  he  said,  '  I'll  teach  her  that  she  is  a  woman,' 
and  stepping  forward,  he  singled  out  a  neglected  vil 
lage  maiden,  who  seemed  ready  for  a  little  attention 
from  anybody,  and  whirled  her  into  the  dance. 
Ninon,  to  her  dismay,  saw  the  arm  of  her  whilom 
brother  and  lover  encircling  another  girl,  while  she, 
apparently,  was  forgotten.  She  could  scarcely  believe 
her  eyes.  She  looked  at  him  fixedly,  the  picture  of 
reproach,  but  he  never  seemed  to  look  toward  her. 
Surprise,  resentment,  grief,  followed  each  other 
upon  her  fair  face,  like  clouds  passing  of  over  a  sunny 
landscape.  At  last  she  buried  her  face  upon  little 
Pierre's  shoulder,  and  sobbed  : 

"  'He  may  be  my  lover,  or  anything  else,  if  he  will 
only  leave  that  hateful  minx  to  come  to  me  once  more.' 

"  The  tall  stranger  saw  her  drooping  head,  and 


AROUND    THE    YULE   LOG.  439 

quickly  led  his  partner  out  of  the  dance  and  bowed 
himself  away,  leaving  her  bewildered  ;  so  quickly 
had  he  come  and  gone. 

"  Ninon  looked  up,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen,  and  the  '  hateful  minx '  stood  alone.  Sud 
denly  a  voice  that  had  grown  strangely  familiar  said 
at  her  side : 

"  '  May  I  be  thy  lover  now?  * 

"  '  Thou  art  false/  she  said  faintly. 

"•'  Never  to  thee,  Ninon.  My  thoughts  were  with 
thee  every  moment  since  you  so  cruelly  left  me.  Do 
you  not  see  why  I  sought  another  maiden  ?  I  wished 
to  teach  you  that  you  were  no  longer  a  child,  but  a 
woman.  I  am  your  lover.  Your  heart  has  already 
claimed  me,  and  these  jealous  tears  prove  it.' 

"  '  Well,  then,'  said  Ninon,  shyly  smiling  again, 
1  if  my  heart  has  gone  to  you,  and  I  half  believe  it 
has,  I  must  follow  my  heart ; '  and  she  put  her  hand 
in  his." 

Loud  arid  long  was  the  applause  that  greeted 
Lottie's  conclusion.  Dan  executed  a  miniature  break 
down  as  an  expression  of  his  feelings,  and  it  would 
seem  that  Mr.  Dimmerly's  chuckling  laugh  would 
never  cease.  De  Forrest  looked  uneasy,  and  Hem- 
stead  was  in  a  trance  of  bewildered  delight.  Alice 
and  Harcourt  exchanged  significant  glances,  but  upon 
the  faces  of  Mrs.  Marchmont  and  Bel  were  traces  of 
disapproval. 

"  Now  uncle,"  cried  Lottie,  "  it's  your  turn.  I 
have  given  you  comedy ;  we  shall  expect  from  you 
high  tragedy." 


44°  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

The  word  "  comedy,"  as  Lottie  here  used'  it, 
jarred  unpleasantly  on  Hemstead's  ear,  and  the 
thought  crossed  Harcourt's  mind,  "  Can  she  be  lead 
ing  Hemstead  on  in  heartless  jest,  as  we  proposed  at 
first?  How  I  have  changed  since  that  day,  and  I 
was  in  hopes  that  she  had,  too,  somewhat." 

But  Mr.  Dimmerly  had  taken  up  the  thread  of 
the  narrative  where  Lottie  had  dropped  it :  "  Ninon," 
he  said,  **  lived  a  long  while  ago,  and  did  not  prop 
erly  refer  the  tall  stranger  to  her  mamma.  A  tryst- 
ing  place  and  time  were  agreed  upon,  and  the  myste 
rious  stranger  in  green,  who  was  a  forester,  seemingly, 
said  that  he  had  a  deer  to  kill  before  nightfall ;  and, 
raising  her  hand  to  his  lips,  departed.  Ninon  sat  a 
long  time,  lost  in  a  maze  of  thought,  and  then,  in  the 
twilight,  roused  the  rapt  child  from  his  visions,  and 
they  started  for  their  home.  But  villainous  faces 
had  hovered  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village  green,  and 
ill-omened  eyes  had  marked  the  beauty  of  Ninon  and 
the  spiritual  face  of  her  brother.  At  that  time  there 
was  in  France  a  terrible  monster,  known  as  Giles  de 
Laval,  whose  emissaries  were  ever  on  the  alert  for 
such  victims.  It  was  this  cruel  man  who  suggested 
to  Perrault  his  world-renowned  story  of  Barbe-bleu, 
the  Blue-Beard  that  Dan  there  knows  all  about. 
Well,  when  Ninon  and  her  little  brother  were  passing 
a  thicket  but  half-way  home,  two  masked  men  sprang 
out  upon  them,  and  stifling  their  terror-stricken  cries, 
carried  them  to  a  distance  from  the  highway.  They 
then  bound  bandages  firmly  over  their  mouths,  and 
the  villains  lifted  them  on  their  horses  and  galloped 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  441 

away  and  away,  till  poor  Ninon  felt  that  she  could 
never  find  her  way  home  again,  even  if  she  had  a 
chance.  Soon  the  shadowy  walls  of  a  great  castle 
rose  before  them,  with  a  single  light  in  a  lofty  tower. 
The  feet  of  the  iron-shod  horses  rang  on  the  draw 
bridge,  which  rose  after  them,  and  then  Ninon  knew 
they  were  prisoners.  At  first  they  were  shut  up  in  a 
dungeon  that  was  perfectly  dark,  for  their  cruel  jailor 
knew  the  overpowering  effect  of  rayless  darkness. 
But  strange  little  Pierre  said  that  the  place  was 
brighter  than  the  sun,  and  that  lovely  faces  were 
smiling  at  him.  Ninon,  however,  saw  nothing,  and 
it  was  dark  indeed  to  her,  and  she  sobbed  bit 
terly,  and  called  on  her  mother  and  lover  for  help. 
But  only  stony-hearted  Laval  and  his  accomplices 
heard  her  girlish  voice.  A  bell  in  one  of  the  towers 
slowly  tolled  out  eleven  o'clock.  A  little  later  the 
door  of  their  cell  opened,  and  light  streamed  in. 
Two  men  in  hideous  masks  seized  them,  and  carried 
them  up  and  up,  till  Ninon,  in  horror,  thought  that 
they  were  to  be  thrown  from  the  top  of  the  tower. 
But  worse  than  that  awaited  «them :  for  soon  they 
entered  a  large  circular  room,  in  which,  on  a  sort 
of  throne,  sat  a  dreadful  looking  man,  clad  in  sable. 
He  had  human  form  and  features,  but  reminded 
one  of  the  more  disgusting  kind  of  wild  beasts. 
His  eyes  were  small,  piercing,  and  malignant,  but  his 
face  was  large,  sensual,  devilish,  and  poor  Ninon  lost 
hope  from  the  moment  she  saw  him.  She  instinct 
ively  felt  that  to  sue  for  mercy  from  such  a  monster, 
would  be  worse  than  vain.  She  had  lost  hope  utterly. 

IQ* 


442  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

She  and  her  mother  were  mistaken.  The  saints  cared 
for  neither  little  Pierre  nor  herself,  and  had  left  them 
to  fall  into  the  clutches  of  this  demon.  She  glanced 
slowly  around  the  room  in  the  faint  hope  of  escape, 
or  even  for  the  chance  of  throwing  herself  from  a 
window,  if  it  were  needful,  in  order  to  escape  from 
that  horrible  man.  But  the  walls  were  thick.  No 
light  came  from  without,  but  only  from  a  great  fur 
nace  that  was  strangely  constructed  and  made  her 
shudder.  For  a  long  time  there  was  perfect  silence 
in  the  dreadful  place.  The  two  masked  men,  gro 
tesque  and  horrible,  stood  near  the  furnace  motion 
less  as  statues.  The  sable  monster  on  his  black 
throne  watched  them  without  moving  a  muscle  in 
his  great,  coarse  face,  only  his  small  eyes  seemed  like 
two  scintillating  sparks  of  infernal  fire,  as  with  a 
fiendish  kind  of  pleasure  he  marked  the  agony  of 
Ninon.  The  young  girl  instinctively  gave  up  all  hope 
of  life,  and  yet  never  had  life  seemed  so  sweet.  Its 
homeliest  details  now  appeared  precious,  and  their 
poor,  little  cottage  heaven,  compared  with  this  den  of 
infamy.  She  had  just  tasted  the  exquisite  happiness 
of  a  new  and  before  unknown  love,  and  now  she  was 
to  die.  She  thought  of  her  mother  growing  gray  in 
loneliness  and  grief.  She  thought  of  her  lover  com 
ing  eagerly  to  their  trysting  place,  but  when  he  came 
on  the  morrow,  Christmas  day,  what  would  she  be 
— where  would  she  be  ?  and  in  her  anguish,  she  cried 
aloud,  and  kneeling,  stretched  out  her  hands  toward 
the  sable  throne. 

"  Then  for  the  first  time  the  coarse,  thick  lips  of  the 


AROUND    THE    YULE   LOG.  443 

monster  distorted  themselves  into  a  hideous  grin, 
but  otherwise  he  did  not  move,  and  the  awful  silence 
continued  in  that  chamber  of  death. 

"  Ninon  put  her  hands  to  her  face,  to  hide  his  ugly 
visage,  and  then  sank  down  in  the  apathy  of  despair. 

"  There  was  nothing  in  Ninon's  agony  that  dis 
turbed  Laval.  Scarcely  a  night  passed  but  some 
victim  like  herself  writhed  under  his  remorseless 
eyes.  Their  mortal  fear  and  sufferings  were  his 
recreation  before  the  sterner  business  of  sorcery  that 
followed,  and  the  more  demonstrative  they  were  in 
their  pain,  the  more  high-spiced  his  pleasure.  At 
first  Ninon's  beautiful  and  expressive  face  kept  his 
whole  attention,  but  after  a  time  he  began  to  note 
the  strangely-appearing  little  boy  who  accompanied 
her.  There  was  no  fear  in  his  calm,  pale  face.  There 
was  no  dread  in  his  large  spiritual  eyes,  that  seemed 
to  look  past  she  monster  and  his  thick  walls  to  some 
rare  vision  beyond. 

"  *  What  does  the  little  wretch  see?'  he  queried, 
for  Laval,  like  his  age,  was  very  superstitious. 

"  But  Ninon  must  be  goaded  out  of  her  apathy,  or 
the  night  would  be  dull ;  so  at  last  the  thick  lips  open, 
and  the  awful  silence  is  broken  by  more  awful  words  : 

"  *  Girl,  thou  who  art  to  lose  body  and  soul,  look 
at  me.' 

"Slowly  Ninon  lifted  her  eyes  to  his  brutal  face, 
and  gazed  fixedly  as  some  poor  little  bird  might 
into  the  envenomed  jaws  of  a  serpent.  The  fascina 
tion  of  fear  was  upon  her.  In  a  thick,  guttural,  mo 
notonous  voice,  the  human  beast  continued,  'The 


444  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

devil  has  shown  me  that  there  is -a  potent  charm  in 
thy  young  innocent  heart,  there  are  powerful  spells 
in  thy  warm  young  blood  ;  and  that  with  them  I 
may  discover  untold  wealth.  When  the  bell  tolls 
out  the  hour  of  midnight,  I  shall  take  your  bleeding 
heart  out  of  your  living  body,  and  the  heart  of  your 
brother  out  of  his  body,  that  with  them  I  may  decoct 
an  essence  in  yonder  furnace,  that  will  transmute  the 
b*asest  metal  into  gold.  Midnight  is  the  hour,  and  at 
midnight  you  shall  die.  Only  the  spell  will  be  far 
more  potent  if  you  first  give  yourself  to  the  foul 
fiend.  Therefore,  repeat  after  me  : 

" '  I  give  my  soul  and  body  to  Satan.' 

"  Mechanically  the  terror-stricken  girl  began. 

"  '  I  give  ' — but  little  Pierre  put  his  hand  over  her 
mouth.  '  The  saints  forbid/  he  said  quietly. 

" '  Seize  the  child,  tear  out  his  staring  eyes/ 
shouted  the  monster  savagely." 

Mr.  Dimmerly  stopped,  took  off  his  spectacles, 
and  coolly  wiped  them  as  he  said : 

"  I'm  through,  and  my  part  of  the  story  is  true. 
This  Giles  de  Laval,  or  as  he  is  better  known  in 
French  history,  the  Marshal  de  Retz,  destroyed 
hundreds  of  children,  at  ages  varying  from  eight  to 
eighteen,  and  in  ways  far  worse  than  I  have  de 
scribed.  So  Lottie,  have  you  had  enough  of  high 
tragedy  ?  " 

"  O  uncle,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  little  impatient 
stamp  of  the  foot,  "  You  have  told  us  a  horrible 
story.  It  must  not  break  off  in  this  way,  or  we 
won't  sleep  a  wink  to-night,  Mr.  Hemstead,  you 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  44$ 

take  up  the  story  where  uncle  left  off,  and  if  possible, 
complete  it  in  a  way  that  won't  make  our  blood  run 
cold." 

Thus  Hemstead  was  put  upon  his  mettle,  and 
soon  all  present  were  hanging  with  breathless  inte 
rest  on  his  rich,  well-modulated  tones. 

" '  When  the  monster  from  his  sable  throne, 
uttered  his  merciless  mandate  to  tear  out  the  eyes 
of  little  Pierre,  the  two  grotesque  and  statue-like 
apparitions  sprang  into  life,  and  snatching  hot  irons 
from  the  furnace,  rushed  toward  the  child.  Ninon 
gave  a  shriek  of  terror,  and  sought  to  shelter  the  boy 
in  her  arms,  crying,  *  Do  what  you  will  with  me,  but 
spare  him.'  Thus  again,  more  truly  than  before  by 
jealous  tears,  Ninon  proved  that  she  had  become  a 
woman." 

At  this  sentence  he  was  interrupted  by  a  perfect 
storm  of  applause,  in  which  Harcourt  led  off  again 
and  again.  But  Hemstead  drew  his  inspiration  from 
Lottie's  face,  and  noted  with  a  thrill  of  joy  that  tears 
stood  in  her  eyes.  This  was  a  richer  tribute  than  he 
received  from  all  the  others,  and  with  deeper  and 
more  effective  tones  he  continued  : 

"  But  just  then  the  great  bell  began  to  toll  out 
the  hour  of  twelve,  and  the  demon,  from  his  sable 
throne,  made  a  restraining  gesture. 

"  '  Naught,'  he  said,  '  must  now  interfere  with  our 
high  magic  and  solemn  sorcery.  At  the  last  stroke 
of  the  bell  take  their  hearts  out  of  their  living  bodies." 

"  Ninon  sank  on  the  floor,  murmuring  like  a  dying 
zephyr  among  the  chords  of  an  yEolian  harp,  *  Fare- 


44-6  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

well,  mother  dear.  Farewell,  my  lover  true.  I  can 
not  meet  you  to-morrow  at  the  fallen  tree!  "  (and 
here  Hemstead  glanced  at  Lottie,  whose  face  was  in 
stantly  suffused)  "  and  she  bowed  her  head  upon  her 
brother's  shoulder,  and  sobbed  aloud. 

"  Slowly  and  solemnly  upon  the  silent  night  the 
iron  tongue  told  out  the  fateful  moments. 

"  With  increasing  uneasiness  the  monster  upon 
his  sable  throne  watched  little  Pierre,  who,  from  first 
to  last,  had  not  shown  a  trace  of  fear  or  trouble. 
Among  all  his  victims  he  had  never  seen  a  child  like 
this,  and  his  guilty  heart  began  to  fail  him  wofully. 

"  *  He  surely  sees  something,'  he  muttered,  as 
the  boy's  large  eyes  dilated  with  a  wondrous  awe, 
and  his  face  grew  luminous  with  a  great  joy. 

"  The  heavy  vibrations  of  the  last  stroke  of  the 
bell  resounded  through  the  silent  night. 

"  Suddenly,  with  a  shrill,  piercing  voice  that  went 
like  an  arrow  to  the  guilty  heart  of  Laval,  little  Pierre 
exclaimed  : 

"  '  It  is  Christmas  morn.  O  Ninon,  look,  there  is 
Jesu,  the  Christ-Child,  and  the  Lord  of  all  the  saints. 
See,  He  is  coming  toward  us,  bearing  His  cross — He  is 
here — He  is  placing  His  pierced  hands  upon  our 
heads — we  are  saved  ; '  and  the  child  knelt  reverently 
on  the  pavement  and  his  sister  knelt  beside  him. 

"  The  monster  tumbled  off  his  sable  throne  and 
lay  grovelling  and  groaning  upon  the  floor,  while  his 
terror-stricken  accomplices  ran  clattering  down  the 
stairs. 

"  Far  above  the  tower  even,  Ninon  thought  she 


AROUND    THE    YULE  LOG.  447 

heard  a  burst  of  heavenly  song,  while  little  Pierre  in 
rapt  ecstasy  cried,  '  Listen.' 

"  Suddenly  a  clarion  voice  that  Ninon  heard  most 
plainly,  and  that  thrilled  her  to  the  heart,  rang  up 
from  the  earth  beneath. 

"'Harm  but  a  hair  of  their  heads  and  I  will  make 
you  suffer  the  tortures  of  the  damned.' 

"  Even  at  their  height  they  could  hear  the  sound 
of  galloping  steeds. 

"  A  dozen  brave  fellows  swam  the  moat,  and  a 
moment  later  the  draw-bridge  fell  heavily  and  the 
clangor  of  a  hundred  hoofs  rang  upon  it. 

"  Up  the  winding  stair  came  the  tramp  of  armed 
men.  There  was  a  thud  and  a  groan  when  any 
resisted.  The  dethroned  monster  lay  grovelling  on 
the  floor,  not  daring  to  move. 

"  Little  Pierre  still  looked  heavenward.  Ninon 
looked  toward  the  door.  A  moment  later  her  lover 
rushed  in  with  drawn  sword ;  and  Ninon,  unharmed, 
with  a  cry  of  joy,  sprang  to  his  heart. 

"  But  the  fire  of  a  terrible  anger  burned  in  the 
young  man's  cheek,  and  he  raised  his  gleaming  sword 
against  Laval,  who  now  pleaded  piteously  for  mercy. 

"  '  What  mercy  would  you  have  shown  these  chil 
dren  ?  '  thundered  the  youth.  '  What  mercy  have 
you  shown  to  your  other  innocent  victims?'  and  he 
was  about  to  run  him  through  when  Ninon  caught 
his  arm  and  cried  : 

"  *  Stay,  kill  him  not  this  Christmas  morn  in  his 
terrible  guilt.  It  was  Jesu  who  saved  us ;  and  does 
He  not  ever  say,  Forgive — even  our  enemies  ?  ' 


448  FROM  JEST   TO  EARNEST. 

"  Slowly  she  drew  down  the  raised  arm  of  human 
revenge.  She  took  from  his  reluctant  hand  the 
gleaming  sword  and  returned  it  in  its  sheath. 

"  And  now  Ninon  has  become  more  than  a  woman 
— she  is  a  Christian." 


UNDER   THE  MISTLETOE. 


449 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

UNDER  THE   MISTLETOE. 

T  NSTEAD  of  applause,  there  was  the  truer  and 
-1  more  appropriate  tribute  of  silence  when  Hem- 
stead  finished  the  mosaic  of  a  story  which,  by  the 
various  narratives,  had  been  developed  so  differ 
ently  and  yet  characteristically.  The  eyes  of  more 
than  one  were  moist,  and  Lottie  hastily  left  the 
room. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  was  the  first  to  recover  himself, 
and,  after  blowing  his  nose  most  vociferously,  man 
aged  to  say : 

"  Well,  Nephew,  it  was  hardly  the  thing  to  get 
a  sermon  off  on  us  before  Sunday,  but,  since  it  was 
rather  well  done,  I  don't  think  we  will  complain. 
I  now  suggest  that  you  young  people  have  some 
games  that  will  set  your  blood  in  motion.  The 
last  hours  of  Christmas  eve  should  ever  be  the  mer 
riest.  I  will  send  Lottie  back — the  tender-hearted 
little  minx,  who  must  take  everything  in  earnest." 

His  advice  was  followed,  and  Lottie  soon  re 
turned,  becoming,  as  usual,  the  life  of  the  company. 
A  breezy  sound  of  voices  and  many  a  ringing  laugh 
took  the  place  of  the  former  hush,  as  games  and 
jests  followed  in  quick  succession. 

Harcourt  was  good-naturedly  on  the  alert  to 


450  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

serve  Hemstead,  and,  in  a  game  that  required  the 
absence  of  two  of  the  company  from  the  room  a 
few  moments,  suggested  the  names  of  the  Student 
and  Lottie  Marsden.  They,  nothing  loth,  went 
out  together  into  the  empty  hall. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Hemstead,  "  I  think  it  a 
little  strange  I  have  not  had  a  chance  to  speak  to 
you  alone,  since  we  were  at  the  fallen  tree  in  the 
clump  of  hemlocks." 

"  I  did  not  know,"  said  Lottie,  laughing  and 
blushing,  "  that  the  '  fallen  tree '  was  a  trysting 
place."  . 

"  Well,"  said  he,  eagerly,  "  I  met  a  young  lady 
there  once,  whom  I  would  gladly  meet  there  or 
anywhere  else  again." 

"To  see  whether  she  had  taken  your  advice?" 

"  That  depends.  I  doubt  whether  she  can  '  make 
a  man  '  of  a  certain  individual,  and  I  fear  she  will 
not  take  the  other  alternative." 

"  She  will  probably  do  as  Ninon  did — follow  her 
heart." 

"  If  one  could  only  know  whither  your  heart 
would  lead  you  !  "  he  said,  blushing  deeply,  and  look 
ing  at  her  so  wistfully  that  she,  seeing  through  his 
thin  disguise,  had  it  on  her  tongue  to  tell  him.  But, 
instead,  she  took  a  few  dancing  steps  away,  and, 
with  no  such  intention  whatever,  stood  just  under 
the  mistletoe  as  she  laughingly  said  : 

"  That  reminds  me  of  what  father  often  says  : 
How  nice  it  would  be  to  speculate,  if  one  only 
knew  every  time  how  it  would  turn  out." 


UNDER   THE  MISTLETOE.  451 

"  Miss  Marsden  !  "  he  exclaimed,  hurriedly,  "  you 
are  right  under  the  mistletoe." 

She  tried  to  spring  away,  but  he  snatched  her 
hand  and  detained  her,  while  he  stood  hesitatingly 
at  her  side,  looking  at  her  lips  as  if  they  were  the 
gates  of  Paradise. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  laughing  and  blushing,  "  I 
have  nothing  to  do  in  the  matter." 

"  But  I  dare  not  take  it  unless  you  give  it." 

"  And  I  dare  not  give  it  unless  you  take  it." 

If  Hemstead  did  not  emulate  Mr.  Dimmerly's 
"  explosion,"  the  ancient  rite  was  nevertheless  hon 
ored  in  a  way  that  Lottie  would  not  soon  forget. 
Never  did  a  kiss  mean  more,  express  more,  or  im 
part  more,  upon  any  occasion  that  the  ceremony 
had  been  solemnized  by  her  ancestors,  back  to  the 
times  of  the  Druids. 

But  this  moment  of  bliss  was  of  short  duration, 
for  Mrs.  Marchment  unexpectedly  entered  the  hall, 
and  threw  them  both  into  disastrous  confusion  by 
exclaiming,  in  unfeigned  astonishment : 

"  Well,  well !  what  does  this  mean  ?  " 

Of  course,  Lottie  was  the  first  to  recover  herself, 
and  managed  to  falter  : 

"  You  see,  Auntie,  by  some  accident — I  assure 
you  it  was  an  accident ;  I  didn't  mean  to  do  it  at 
all — I  got  under  that  pesky  mistletoe  of  uncle's, 
and  Mr.  Hemstead,  it  would  seem,  had  taken  to 
heart  uncle's  homily  on  the  duty  of  keeping  up 
old  customs.  Mr.  Hemstead,  you  know,  is  so  con 
scientious,  and  I  suppose  he  felt  that  he  must,  poor 
man  ;  and  so — and  thus — " 


452  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

At  this  moment  Harcourt's  expedients  of  delay 
failed,  and  they  were  loudly  summoned  back  to  the 
dining-room.  , 

"  I  hope  there  will  be  no  more  such  nonsense," 
said  Mrs.  Marchment,  severely. 

"  Oh,  no,  indeed,  Auntie;  it  will  never  happen 
again.  Only  the  strongest  sense  of  duty  could 
have  impelled  Mr.  Hemstead  to  do  such  a  thing  ;  " 
and  they  escaped  to  the  dining-room  only  to  be  sub 
jected  to  a  fire  from  another  quarter.  Their  color 
was  so  high,  and  they  had  such  an  air  of  general 
confusion,  that  Harcourt  cried,  laughingly : 

"  I  more  than  half  believe  that  you  have  been 
under  the  mistletoe." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Lottie  ;  "  with  auntie  in  the 
hall?  If  you  think  Mr.  Hemstead  is  brave  enough 
for  that,  you  greatly  misjudge  him." 

But  De  Forrest  was  wofully  suspicious,  and 
had  many  uneasy  thoughts  about  the  "jest" 
which  Lottie  must  be  carrying  out ;  for  surely  it 
could  not  be  possible  that  she  was  becoming  in 
earnest. 

Hemstead  and  Lottie  made  wretched  work  in 
guessing  the  word  required  of  them  from  the 
nature  of  the  game  ;  for  Mr.  Dimmerly's  prolonged, 
chuckling  laugh,  which  could  be  heard  from  the 
parlor,  did  not  tend  to  allay  their  confusion. 

When  Mrs.  Marchment  entered  that  apartment, 
she  found  her  brother  apparently  in  a  convulsion ; 
but  he  was  only  vainly  endeavoring  to  prevent  his 
merriment  from  developing  into  an  outrageous 


UNDER  THE  MISTLETOE. 


453 


chuckle,  for  he  too  had  seen  Lottie  under  the  mis 
tletoe. 

"  This  thing  must  be  stopped,"  said  Mrs.  March- 
ment,  most  emphatically;  at  which  her  brother 
chuckled  louder  than  ever,  and  said  : 

"  Stopped,  indeed  !  As  if  it  could  be,  or  ever 
had  been  *  stopped/  since  Adam  and  Eve  first 
cast  sheep's  eyes  at  each  other  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden." 

His  sister  left  the  room  with  a  gesture  of  annoy 
ance. 

Suddenly  the  little  man's  queer,  cackling  laugh 
ceased,  and  his  wrinkled  face  grew  sad  and  thought 
ful  as  he  sighed  : 

"  I'm  the  only  Dimmerly  who  was  ever 
*  stopped ' — fool  that  I  was.  His  mother,  sister 
Celia,  would  marry  a  poor  man,  and  her  life,  in 
spite  of  all  her  toil  and  privation,  has  been  happier 
than  mine,"  and  he  shook  his  head  pathetically 
over  "what  might  have  been." 

The  marble  clock  on  the  mantel  chimed  out  the 
hour  of  twelve,  and  the  young  people  came  flocking 
in  from  the  dining-room,  their  noisy  mirth  hushed 
as  they  remembered  that  the  sacred  hours  of  the 
Christmas  Sabbath  had  commenced. 

"  I  have  induced  Miss  Martell  to  give  us  a 
Christmas  hymn  before  parting,"  said  Harcourt;  and 
he  led  Alice  to  the  piano,  as  if  there  had  been  some 
preconcerted  arrangement. 

Lottie  went  to  her  uncle's  side,  and  took  his 
arm  in  a  sort  of  wheedling,  affectionate  way.  She 


454   .  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

was  beginning  to  instinctively  recognize  that  she 
had  an  ally  and  sympathizer  in  him.  As  he  looked 
down  upon  her  fair  face  in  its  dewy  freshness 
and  bloom,  he  vowed  that,  as  far  as  it  was  in  his 
power,  she  should  have  her  own  way.  Time  and 
the  inevitable  ills  of  our  lot  might  dim  that  face, 
but  it  should  not  become  withered  by  a  life-time 
of  vain  regret. 

"What  were  you  laughing  at  so,  uncle?"  she 
whispered. 

"  At  my  nephew's  painful  conscientiousness  and 
stern  performance  of  duty.  What  a  martyr  he  made 
of  himself,  to  be  sure !" 

"  Now,  uncle,  I  half  believe  you  think  I  stepped 
under  your  old  mistletoe  on  purpose.  It's  no  such 
thing." 

"  Oh,  no,  my  dear.  The  mistletoe  is  haunted, 
and  has  been  for  a  thousand  years  or  more,  and 
viewless  elves  draw  under  it  those  who  are  to  re 
ceive  kisses — prophetic  of  many  others  from  the 
same  lips." 

But  here  he  found  Lottie's  hand  upon  his  lips, 
for  a  second,  and  then  she  stood  at  Miss  Mart  ell's 
side,  who  was  now  playing  a  prelude.  In  some 
surprise,  Lottie  noticed  that,  instead  of  there  being 
a  printed  sheet  upon  the  piano-rack,  both  the  words 
and  music  were  written  by  hand.  As  Miss  Martell 
sang,  in  a  sweet  but  unfamiliar  air,  the  following 
words,  her  surprise  and  interest  deepened : 

At  midnight,  in  Judean  skies, 

There  dawned  a  light  whose  holy  rays 


UNDER  THE  MISTLETOE.  455 

Not  only  cheered  the  shepherds'  eyes, 
But  filled  with  hope  all  coming  days. 

At  midnight,  o'er  Judea's  plain 

Was  heard  a  song  unknown  before  ; 
The  echoes  of  that  sweet  refrain 

Are  reaching  earth's  remotest  shore. 

'Twas  not  the  sun  o'er  Eastern  hills, 
That  shed  a  transient  radiance  round  ; 

Nor  a  feeble  heir  of  earthly  ills 

The  shepherds  in  the  manger  found. 

Upon  the  darker  midnight  sky 

Of  human  sorrow,  care,  and  sin — 
A  night  that  broods  at  noontide  high  ; 

A  dreary  gloom  all  hearts  within — 

There  rose  a  gentle,  human  face, 

Whose  light  was  love  and  sympathy — 

The  God  of  heaven,  yet  of  our  race — 
The  humblest  of  humanity. 

The  night  of  sorrow,  sin,  and  care 

Still  shadows  many  hapless  hearts  ; 
But  all  who  will,  this  light  may  share — 

This  hope  which  Christmas  morn  imparts. 

Lottie's  eyes  were  suffused  with  tears  when  the 
simple  hymn  was  finished,  but  they  did  not  prevent 
her  from  following  Miss  Martell's  finger  as  she 
turned  to  the  title-page  and  pointed  to  the  in 
scription  : 

"  Music  by  Miss  Martell. 

"  Words  by  Frank  Hemstead. 

"  Dedicated  to  Miss  Lottie  Marsden. 

"  We  wish  you  more  than  a '  merry ' — the  happy  Christmas,  rather, 
of  the  Christian," 

Her   first    response  was   an  impulsive   kiss   to 


456  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Alice.  But  when  she  looked  around  to  thank 
Hemstead,  he  had  gone. 

A  little  later,  as  he  came  stamping  up  the  piazza 
out  of  the  snow,  after  assisting  Harcourt  and  Miss 
Kartell  away,  the  hall-door  opened,  and  some  one 
darted  out,  and  took  his  hand  in  a  quick,  thrilling 
pressure.  A  voice  that  had  grown  as  dear  as  fa 
miliar  said : 

"  Before  we  parted  to-night  I  wanted  to  tell  you 
that  I  think  Lottie  Marsden,  like  Ninon,  has  be 
come  more  than  a  woman — a  Christian." 

And  she  vanished,  but  left  the  night  so  luminous 
about  him  that  he  could  not,  for  a  long  time,  enter 
the  house. 

He  felt,  like  the  shepherds  who  kept  watch  cen 
turies  ago,  that  an  angel  had  brought  him  "  tidings 
of  great  joy." 


THE  CHRISTMAS  SUNDA  Y.  457 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE   CHRISTMAS   SUNDAY. 

THIS  Christmas  Sabbath,  though  marked  by  no 
unusual  event,  was  destined  to  be  a  memora 
ble  day  in  the  lives  of  Frank  Hemstead  and  Char 
lotte  Marsden.  A  chain  of  unforeseen  circumstan 
ces  and  experiences,  and  a  sequence  of  emotions 
still  less  understood*,  had  lifted  them  higher  and 
higher,  until  this  culminating  day  was  scarcely  one 
of  earthly  existence. 

Lottie,  in  her  previous  life,  had  been  frivolous 
and  selfish  ;  but  her  evil  resulted  from  thoughtless 
ness  rather  than  the  deliberate  purpose  to  do 
wrong.  She  was  the  type  of  multitudes  of  her 
fair  sisters,  who,  with  sparkling  eyes,  look  out  upon 
life  in  its  morning  to  see  only  what  it  offers  to 
them,  and  not  the  tasks  it  furnishes  them  for 
others.  Only  by  experience — only  by  God's  logic 
of  events  do  they  find  that  their  happiness  is  in 
these  tasks — in  unselfish  giving  and  doing. 

The  world  had  been  at  Lottie's  feet.  It  had 
offered  her  all  that  it  could  to  a  girl  in  her  station ; 
but  when,  withdrawn  from  it  by  a  day  of  suffering, 
she  had  summed  up  her  treasures,  she  found  that 
she  had  nothing  but  remorse.  She  had  been  re 
ceiving  all  her  life,  and  yet  had  nothing.  She 


458  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

would  then  gladly  have  remembered  that  she  had 
given  even  one  an  impulse  toward  a  truer  and  hap 
pier  life.  But  she  could  not.  Apart  from  natural 
impulses  of  affection  toward  kindred  and  friends, 
her  only  thought  in  regard  to  all  had  been, — How 
can  I  make  them  minister  to  me  and  my  pleasure  ? 
With  tact  and  skill,  enhanced  by  exceeding  beauty, 
she  had  exacted  an  unstinted  revenue  of  flattery, 
attention,  and  even  love  ;  and  yet,  when,  in  weak 
ness  and  pain,  she  wished  the  solace  of  some  con 
soling  memory,  she  found  only  an  accusing  con 
science. 

This  experience  conveyed* to  the  practical  girl 
a  startling  lesson.  With  all  her  faults,  she  did  not 
belong  to  the  class  that  is  hopeless,  because  so 
weak  and  shallow.  Though  her  handsome  face 
might  often  express  much  that  was  unlovely  and 
unwomanly,  it  ever  expressed  mind. 

When  she,  in  her  turn,  like  hosts  of  others,  came 
to  realize  the  limitations  of  her  being,  her  weak 
ness  and  need,  she  looked  around,  instinctively,  for 
help  and  support.  Human  teaching  presented  a 
God  from  whom  she  shrank  in  fear  and  dislike. 
The  Bible  revealed  Jesus.  When  feeling  most  her 
need,  the  Bible  presented  one  whose  eyes  over 
flowed  with  sympathy,  and  whose  hand  was  om 
nipotent.  She  instinctively  felt,  like  Mary  of  old, 
that,  at  "  His  feet,"  there  was  rest  and  hope. 

This  feeling  was  not  reached  as  a  mathematician 
solves  an  equation,  or  a  theologian  comes  to  a  con 
clusion,  but  more  after  the  manner  in  which  some 


THE  CHRISTMAS  SUNDA  Y.  459 

women  and  most  children  will  look  at  a  person,  and 
say,  "  I  like  him  ; '  I'll  trust  him." 

There  was  nothing  incongruous  or  unnatural  in 
the  contemporary  love  growing  up  in  her  heart  for 
Hemstead  at  the  same  time,  though  it  is  possible 
that  some  may  so  think.  In  some  minds  the  ideas 
of  love  and  passion  .  seem  inseparable,  and  they 
regard  religion  as  something  far  removed.  These 
are  but  the  right  wing  of  that  sinister  class 
who  jumble  their  passions  and  religion  to 
gether,  and,  in  pious  jargon  and  spiritual  double 
entendre,  half  conceal  and  half  convey  the  base 
meaning  of  their  hearts.  In  others,  love,  or  what 
with  them  goes  by  the  name,  is  equally  in 
separable  from  management  and  match-making, 
trousseaus  and  settlements — concerns  pertaining 
to  earth,  and  very  earthy,  it  must  be  admitted. 
No  doubt  many  excellent,  solid  people  would 
regard  Lottie's  spiritual  condition  with  grave  sus 
picion,  and  ask,  disapprovingly,  "  What  business 
have  two  such  different  loves  to  be  originating  in 
her  heart  at  the  same  time?"  But,  in  the  term 
"  different,"  they  beg  the  question.  Where  is  the 
antagonism?  Where  is  even  the  dissimilarity? 
Are  not  these  two  impulses  of  the  heart  near  akin, 
rather ;  and  does  not  a  truer  and  deeper  philosophy 
of  life  teach  that  love  for  a  human  object  may  be 
as  certainly  God's  will  as  love  towards  himself? 
Have  these  solid,  excellent  people  aught  to  say 
against  the  faithful  devotion  of  a. wife,  or  the  pa 
tient  tenderness  of  a  mother,  which  are  corner- 


460  FROM.  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

stones  of  the  family,  as  the  family  is  the  corner-stone 
of  all  true  civilization  ?  But  what  is  the  origin  of 
the  wife's  devotion  and  mother's  tenderness  ?  These 
people,  surely,  are  as  wise  as  they  are  solid.  They 
would  have  the  day  without  the  dawn. 

At  any  rate,  it  would  appear  that  Heaven  was 
making  the  match  between  Hemstead  and  Lottie 
— making  it  as  the  Spring  comes  on  in  northern 
latitudes,  subtlely,  imperceptibly,  and  yet  speedily. 
Just  how  or  when  it  came  about,  they  did  not  know  ; 
but  when  they  met  that  Christmas  morning,  the 
peace  and  gladness  of  an  assured  and  reciprocal 
love  smiled  from  each  other's  eyes.  They  needed 
no  explanations.  Frank  Hemstead's  face  had  ever 
been  as  easily  interpreted  as  his  honest  words  ;  and 
he  now  had  taught  Lottie's  face  to  tell  the  truth. 
A  blessed  truth  it  revealed  to  him  that  Christmas 
day. 

As  he  entered  the  pulpit  that  morning  his  face 
was  radiant  with  the  purest  human  love,  as  well  as 
love  to  God.  So  far  from  being  incongruous,  the 
one  seemed  to  kindle  and  intensify  the  other. 
Though  his  sermon  was  simplicity  itself,  he  spoke 
as  one  inspired.  His  message  now  was  a  gospel, 
and  came  to  his  hearers  as  the  angel's  announce 
ment  (which  was  his  text)  to  the  shepherds. 

But  his  closing  words  were  searching,  and  sent 
many  of  his  hearers  home  thoughtful  and  con 
science-smitten,  as  well  as  cheered  by  the  great 
hope  which  Christmas  day  should  ever  bring  to  the 
world. 


THE  CHRIS  TMA  S  S  UNDA  Y.  46 1 

11 1  would  gladly  correct,"  he  said,  "  the  impres 
sion  which  I  fear  was  made  on  some  minds  last  Sab 
bath.  Christ  is  the  embodiment  of  Christianity, 
and  His  coming  to  the  world  was  '  tidings  of  great 
joy;'  His  coming  to  every  sinful  heart  should  be 
1  tidings  of  great  joy.'  But  I  fear  that  I  led  some  to 
dread  His  coming,  as  they  would  purgatorial  fires. 
How  did  the  All-powerful  One  come?  As  a  little, 
helpless  child,  that  he  might  disarm  our  fears  and 
enlist  our  sympathy.  How  did  He  live?  The 
humblest  among  the  humble,  that  no  one  on  earth 
should  be  too  lowly  to  go  straight  to  His  side  with 
his  griefs.  How  did  He  act?  He  took  little  children 
in  His  arms,  and  blessed  them.  He  laid  His  hand 
on  the  loathsome  leper  from  whom  all  shrank.  He 
looked  into  the  glare  of  the  demoniac's  eyes — the 
demons  fled.  Then,  in  meekness,  He  would  offer  to 
enter  the  poor  wretch's  heart,  and  dwell  in  what 
had  been  the  foul  abode  of  the  foulest  fiends.  When 
men  wept,  He,  from  sympathy,  wept  with  them, 
though  His  next  breath  changed  their  mourning 
into  joy.  When  man  dishonored  God,  or  wronged 
his  fellow-men,  as  did  the  Pharisees,  with  their  un 
hallowed  traffic  in  the  Temple,  their  robbery  of  the 
widow  and  fatherless,  their  blocking  up  the  way  of 
life  with  their  senseless  ceremonies,  puerile  tradi 
tions,  no  knight  in  all  the  heroic  past  ever  breathed 
out  a  more  fiery  indignation.  How  did  He  die? 
In  a  way  that  even  the  thief  might  be  redeemed 
and  live  eternally.  He  was  an  ideal  man,  as  well 
as  perfect  God.  He  was  the  servant  of  all,  as  well 


462  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

as  King  of  Kings.  Not  from  His  throne  did  He 
stoop  to  us.  He  stood  at  our  side,  and  sustained 
fainting  humanity  with  His  encircling  arm,  as  a 
brother.  Little  wonder,  then,  that  the  angel  called 
the  announcement  that  God  had  thus  visited  His 
creatures  '  Good  tidings  of  great  joy.' 

"  But  there  is  a  brief  word  of  pointed  and  search 
ing  significance  in  this  message.  The  angel  said, 
'  Unto  you  is  born  a  Saviour.'  Is  that  true  of  each 
one  of  us  ?  Is  this  Christmas  day  a  mockery,  remind 
ing  us  of  a  hope  that  is  not  ours — of  a  heaven  in 
which  we  have  no  right  nor  part  ?  Does  conscience 
tell  us  to-day  that  we  have  looked  upon  the  light 
that  shone  at  Bethlehem  with  apathetic  eyes,  and 
heard  the  angel's  message  with  unbelieving  hearts, 
so  that  practically  no  Saviour  has  been  born  unto 
us  ?  Why  do  you  keep  this  day  as  a  festival,  my 
hearer?  I  can  tell  you  why  you  may.  If  you  will 
receive  it,  the  angel's  message  is  to  you  personally ; 
unto  you  is  born  a  Saviour  who  will  forgive  your 
past  sin,  and  shield  you  from  its  consequences, — 
who  will  ennoble  your  future  life,  and  sustain  and 
comfort  under  the  inevitable  sorrow  and  suffering 
awaiting, — and  who  will  receive  you  into  an  eternal 
and  happy  home  at  the  end  of  your  brief  sojourn 
here.  May  not  this  Christmas  pass  until  each  one 
has  received  the  abiding  peace  and  joy  of  the 
angel's  message  into  the  depths  of  his  heart." 

After  the  service,  Miss  Martell,  with  glistening 
eyes,  said  to  Harcourt,  "  I  am  glad  you  heard  that 


THE  CHRISTMAS  SUN  DA  Y.  463 

"  I  admit,"  he  replied,  with  bowed  head,  "  that 
it  is  better  than  my  old  philosophy.  I  think  Hem- 
stead  must  have  written  it  for  me." 

As  the  young  clergyman  helped  Lottie  into  the 
sleigh,  she  whispered  : 

"  You  wrote  that  sermon  for  me." 

Both  were  right.  Hemstead  had  preached 
Christ,  who  is  God's  embodied  truth,  meant  alike, 
and  alike  adapted  to  every  human  heart. 


464  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE   END   OF  THE   "  JEST." 

IT  is  a  common  impression  that  impending  disas 
ters  cast  their  shadows  before ;  and  especially  in 
the.  realm  of  fiction  do  we  find  that  much  is  made 
of  presentiments,  which  are  usually  fulfilled  in  a 
very  dramatic  way.  But  the  close  observer  of  real 
life,  to  a  large  degree,  loses  faith  in  these  bodings 
of  ill.  He  learns  that  sombre  impressions  re 
sult  more  often  from  a  defective  digestion  and 
disquieted  conscience  than  any  other  cause ;  and 
that,  after  the  gloomiest  forebodings,  the  days  pass 
in  unusual  sereneness.  Not  that  this  is  always 
true,  but  it  would  almost  seem  the  rule.  Perhaps 
more  distress  is  caused  by  those  troubles  which 
never  come,  but  which  are  feared  and  worried  over, 
than  by  those  which  do  come,  teaching  us,  often, 
patience  and  faith. 

Does  not  experience  show  that  disasters  and 
trials  more  often  visit  us,  like  the  "  thief  in  the 
night,"  unexpectedly? 

At  any  rate,  it  so  occurred  to  Hemstead  and 
Lottie  on  the  dreary  Monday  that  followed  their 
glorified  Sunday.  And  yet,  never  did  a  day  open 
with  fairer  promise.  There  was  a  cloudless  sky 
and  a  crystal  earth.  The  mystic  peace  of  Christ- 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  465 

mas  seemed  to  have  been  breathed  even  into  bleak 
December;   for  the  air  was  mild  and  still,  and  the 
shadows  of  slender  trees  crept'  across  tlu 
steadily  as  that  made  by  the  sun-dial  on  the  I 

Within  doors  all  appeared  equally  serene.  The 
fire  burned  cheerily  upon  the  hearth  when  Hem- 
stead  came  down  to  breakfast.  What  was  of  far 
more  importance,  the  light  of  love  glowed  as 
brightly  in  Lottie's  eyes,  as  she  beamed  upon  him 
across  the  table ;  and  the  spell  which  kept  him,  un 
thinking,  unfearing,  in  the  beatified  present,  re 
mained  unbroken. 

But  the  darkest  shadows  were  creeping  toward 
both. 

To  any  situated  as  they  were,  and  in  their  con 
dition  of  mind  and  heart,  a  mere  awakening  would 
have  been  a  rude  shock.  Some  one  had  only  to 
show  them,  with  the  remorseless  logic  of  this  world, 
what  all  their  heavenly  emotions  involved,  in  or 
der  to  cause  perplexity  and  almost  consternation. 
They  could  not  long  dwell,  like  the  immortal  gods, 
on  the  Mount  Olympus  of  their  exalted  feeling, 
subsisting  on  the  nectar  and  ambrosia  of  tones 
and  glances. 

Lottie  was  the  fashionable  daughter  of  an  ultra- 
fashionable  mother  and  worldly  father,  in  whose 
eyes  sins  against  the  beau  monde  were  the  most  ir- 
rationable  and  unpardonable. 

Hemstead  was  a  predestined  home  missionary, 
upon  whom  the  Christian  Church  proposed  to  in 
flict  the  slow  martyrdom  of  five  or  six  hundred  a 
20* 


466  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

year.  Mrs.  Marchmont  but  reflected  the  judgment 
of  the  world  when  she  thought  that  for  two  young 
people,  thus  situated,  to  fall  in  love  with  each  other, 
would  be  the  greatest  possible  misfortune.  There 
fore,  with  the  sincerest  sense  of  duty,  and  the  very 
best  intentions,  she  set  about  preventing  it,  after 
all  the  mischief  had  been  done. 

Like  a  prudent  lady,  as  she  was,  she  first  sought 
to  get  sufficient  information  to  justify  her  in  speak 
ing  plainly  to  both  her  nephew  and  niece.  For 
this  purpose  she  drew  Addie  out  on  Sunday  after 
noon,  asking  her  if  she  had  noticed  anything  pecu 
liar  in  the  manner  of  Hemstead  and  Lottie  toward 
each  other.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  and  with  just 
indignation,  to  her  credit  be  it  said,  she  learned  of 
the  practical  joke  of  which  her  nephew  was  to  be 
the  victim.  She  skilfully  drew  from  her  daughter 
all  the  details  of  its  inception  and  the  mode  in 
which  it  had  been  carried  out,  for,  to  Addie's  super 
ficial  observation,  Lottie  was  only  indulging  in  one 
of  her  old  flirtations.  She  neither  saw,  nor  was  she 
able  to  understand  the  change  in  Lottie's  feelings 
and  character.  She  also  wronged  Lottie  by  giving 
the  impression  that  she  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
plot,  with  the  exception  that  she  had  promised  not 
to  interfere. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  could  scarcely  believe  what  she 
heard,  but  Addie  referred  her  to  Bel,  who  con 
firmed  her  words  and  admitted  that  from  the  first 
she  had  "  known  it  was  very  wrong,  but  had  not 
believed  that  anything  would  come  of  it,  until  it 
seemed  too  late." 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  467 

"  Besides/'  she  said,  "  Lottie  told  me  that  if  I 
said  a  word,  or  interfered  in  any  way,  she  would 
from  that  time  treat  me  as  a  stranger,  and  she  said 
it  in  a  way  that  proved  she  meant  it.  Therefore, 
whatever  you  do,  please  let  it  appear  that  I  have  no 
part  in  it." 

"  You  surprise  and  shock  me  greatly,"  said  Mrs. 
Marchmont,  "  with  all  of  Lottie's  wild  nonsense 
and  fondness  for  flirting,  I  would  not  have  thought 
that  she  could  be  guilty  of  such  deliberate  and  per 
sistent  effort  to  trifle  with  one  so  sincere  and  good 
as  Frank.  The  most  heartless  coquette  would 
scarcely  call  him  fair  game.  She  puzzles  me  too, 
for  she  does  not  seem  like  one  who  is  acting,  but 
more  like  one  in  earnest.  Besides,  look  at  the  in 
terest  she  is  beginning  to  take  in  religion.  She 
surely  could  not  employ  such  sacred  things  for  the 
purposes,  of  mere  flirtation." 

But  Bel  soon  converted  Mrs.  Marchmont  to  her 
way  of  thinking.  Lottie  had  found  Hemstead  dif 
ferent  and  more  interesting  than  she  had  expected, 
and  had  foolishly  and  recklessly  permitted  a  mere 
sentiment  for  him  to  develop,  which,  in  her  case, 
would  end  with  the  visit,  and  soon  be  forgotten  in 
the  mad  whirl  of  New  York  gayety.  "  But,  with  Mr. 
Hemstead,"  concluded  Bel,  "it  will  be  a  very  differ 
ent  affair.  He  is  one  of  the  kind  that  will  brood  over 
such  a  disappointment  and  wrong  to  the  end  of  life." 

So  it  was  settled  that  Mrs.  Marchmont  should 
"speak  plainly"  to  her  nephew,  and  warn  him 
against  "  Lottie's  wiles,"  as  soon  as  possible. 


468  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

But  no  opportunity  occurred  before  Monday 
morning,  and  then  not  till  after  Hemstead  had  re 
ceived  some  of  the  most  blissful  experiences  that 
he  had  yet  enjoyed.  For,  immediately  after  break 
fast,  all  had  flocked  into  the  back  parlor,  where  the 
laden  Christmas  tree  revealed  the  secrets  that  had 
filled  the  air  with  mystery  during  the  preceding 
days. 

All  had  been  remembered,  and  Mr.  Martell's 
munificence  toward  the  gallant  coachman  quite 
took  away  his  breath. 

But  Hemstead  was  overwhelmed  and  troubled 
at  first,  when  he  opened  an  envelope,  and  found  a 
check  for  a  thousand  dollars,  with  the  words,  "  We 
send  you  this,  not  in  any  sense  as  compensation 
— for  we  know  enough  of  your  character,  to  recog 
nize  that  you  would  have  taken  equal  risks  in  be 
half  of  the  penniless — but  because  we  wish  to  be 
remembered  by  you,  whom  we  can  never  forget. 
And  we  only  request  that  you  invest  this  sum  to 
ward  your  library,  so  that,  in  coming  years,  the  best 
thoughts  of  your  favorite  authors,  may  remind 
you  of  those  whose  best  wishes,  sincerest  gratitude, 
and  highest  esteem  will  ever  be  yours. 

"  (Signed.)  HERBERT   MARTELL, 

"  ALICE  MARTELL." 
"  Now,   Frank,  what  is  the  use  of  putting  on 

such  airs  ?  "  said  Addie.     "  You  surely  expected  a 

handsome  present  from  Mr.  Martell." 

"  I  assure  you,  I  expected  nothing  of  the  kind," 

he  replied,  a  trifle  indignantly.     "  Why  should  I  ? 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  469 

As  it  is,  I  am  doubtful  whether  I  ought  to  accept 
of  it." 

"  Why  should  I  ?  "  Lottie  echoed  with  a  merry 
laugh.  "  That's  like  you.  But  unless  you  wish  to 
hurt  and  wrong  sincere  friends  very  much,  I  advise 
you  to  keep  it  and  do  as  they  say.  You  are  so  ex 
ceedingly  proud  or  humble — which  shall  I  call  it — 
that  I  fear  you  neither  expect,  nor  will  take  any 
thing  from  me." 

"  Here  is  a  queer-looking  parcel  for  Frank  Hem- 
stead,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  with  his  chuckling 
laugh. 

With  intense  delight  Lottie  saw  the  student 
hesitate,  and  his  hand  tremble  as  he  slowly  began 
to  open  it. 

"  It's  not  a  torpedo,  or  infernal  machine,  that 
you  need  be  in  such  trepidation,"  she  whispered. 
"  It  won't  go  off." 

"  Is  it  from  you  ?  " 

"  Look,  and  see." 

It  was  a  sermon-holder,  of  rich,  plain  morocco 
without,  but  within,  most  elaborately  embroidered. 
Most  prominent  among  the  rare  and  dainty  devices 
was  a  single  oar. 

The  expression  of  his  face  repaid  her,  as  he  ex 
amined  it  with  a  comical  blending  of  reverence  and 
affection,  as  some  devout  Catholic  might  a  relic. 
In  the  blade  of  the  oar  was  worked,  with  the  most 
exquisite  fineness,  the  words,  "A  true  Knight." 
Within  an  inner  pocket,  where  they  could  not  be 
readily  seen,  were  the  words, 

"  With  the  thanks  of  Lottie  Marsden." 


470  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

But  his  quick  scrutiny  soon  discovered  them, 
and  he  turned  and  said,  with  an  emphasis  that  did 
her  good : 

"  I  value  this  more  than  the  check." 

"  What  folly !  "  she  said,  blushing  with  pleas 
ure;  "it  isn't  worth  five  dollars." 

"  I  can  prove  that  it  is  worth  more  than  the 
check,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone. 

-How?" 

"  We  value  that  gift  most  which  we  receive 
^from  the  friend  we  value  most.  There;  it  is 
proved  in  a  sentence ;  but  I  can  prove  it  over 
again." 

"  What  delightful  lessons  in  logic  !  But  you 
surely  cannot  prove  it  again." 

"  Yes.  If  the  gift  from  the  friend  we  value 
most  contains  evidence  that  thought  and  time  have 
been  expended  upon  it — that  gift,  however  slight 
its  market  value,  has  a  worth  to  us  beyond  price, 
because  showing  that  the  friend  we  love  supremely 
thinks  of  us  in  our  absence." 

"  I  did  put  a  great  deal  of  time  and  thought  on 
that  little  gift,  but  you  have  repaid  me,"  Lottie 
answered,  in  a  low  tone. 

Their  brief  but  significant  tete-d-tete  was  now 
interrupted  by  De  Forrest,  'who  came  forward  to 
thank  Lottie  for  her  costly  gift  to  him — a  gift 
bought  on  Broadway.  He  had  uneasily  marked 
the  fact  that  she  had  given  something  to  Hemstead, 
but  when  he  saw  that  it  was  only  a  sermon-cover,  he 
was  quite  relieved. 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  47  j 

"  Come  here,  Frank,  and  show  me  your  present," 
said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  a  little  later. 

Hemstead  good-naturedly  complied,  and  the 
old  gentlemen  looked  at  the  single  embroidered  oar, 
with  a  comical  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and  called  again : 

"  Lottie,  come  here." 

She  approached  rather  shyly  and  reluctantly, 
not  knowing  what  to  expect. 

"  Now,  Lottie,"  said  her  uncle,  reproachfully, 
pointing  to  the  oar,  "  I  did  not  expect  that  from  so 
sensible  a  girl  as  you  are.  What  is  a  man  going  to 
do  with  one  oar,  unless  he  is  to  take  a  lonely  scull 
through  life  as  I  have  ?  Did  you  mean  to  suggest 
that  to  Mr.  Hemstead  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Hemstead  found  out  another  meaning 
than  that,"  she  said,  laughing,  "  and  I'm  not  going 
to  stay  here  to  be  teased  by  you,"  and  she  ran  out 
of  the  room,  the  picture  of  blushing  happiness. 

When  Hemstead  again  saw  her  it  was  with  a 
great  dread  in  his  heart,  and  his  tones  were  grave 
and  almost  stern. 

"  O — h — h  you  found  out  another  meaning,  did 
you  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  looking  both  kindly 
and  quizzically  over  his  spectacles  at  his  nephew. 

"  Well,  uncle,  to  tell  you  the  truth  I  hardly  un 
derstand  myself;  my  visit  here  is  a  great  contrast 
to  my  quiet  seminary  life,  and  I  have  been  getting 
deeper  and  deeper  into  a  maze  of  happy  bewilder 
ment  every  day.  So  much  has  happened,  and  I 
am  so  changed,  that,  like  many,  in  tales  of  enchant 
ment,  I  scarcely  know  whether  I  am  myself." 


472  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  I  have  seen  the  spell  working,"  said  Mr.  Dim- 
merly,  dryly,  "  and  am  thankful  that  the  transfor 
mation  has  not  been  of  the  nature  that  Shakspeare 
portrayed  in  his  Midsummer  Night  Fantasy.  Your 
head  might  have  become  turned  over  the  wrong 
girl,  and  you  have  reached  the  period  when  it  is 
bound  to  be  turned  over  some  one." 

"  Uncle,"  he  said,  fervently,  "  she  is  the  noblest 
and  most  beautiful  being  in  existence." 

"  Frank,  I  wish  to  see  you,"  said  his  aunt, 
quietly ;  and  he  followed  her  to  her  own  private 
sitting-room. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  indulged  in  his  low,  chuckling 
laugh  as  he  looked  after  them. 

"  Now  she's  going  to  '  stop  '  it,  he — he — In  the 
meantime  I'll  go  out  and  stop  the  brook  from  run 
ning  down  hill." 

"  The  time  has  come,"  said  Mrs.  Marchmont  to 
her  perplexed  nephew,  with  the  complacent  supe 
riority  with  which  the  wise  of  this  world  enlighten 
those  whose  "  heads  are  often  in  the  clouds." — "  The 
time  has  come  when  I  must  speak  plainly  to  you 
of  a  matter  as  important  as  it  is  delicate.  You  are 
my  own  sister's  child,  and  I  cannot  see  you  wronged 
or  going  blindly  into  trouble  without  warning  you. 
Are  you  not  permitting  yourself  to  become  inter 
ested  in  Miss  Marsden  to  a  degree  that  is  not  wise  ?  " 

"Why  not  wise?"  he  answered  with  burning 
cheeks. 

"  Have  you  not  realized  that  she  is  one  of  the 
most  fashionable  young  ladies  in  New  York,  and 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  473 

belongs  to  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  fashion 
able  families  ?  If  you  could  but  once  see  her  mother 
you  would  understand  me." 

"  But  she  herself  has  changed,"  he  urged,  eagerly. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  smiled  incredulously  and  pity 
ingly,  "  How  little  you  know  the  world,"  she  said, 
"  In  what  do  you  expect  all  your  sentiment  to  end  ? 
Only  sentiment?  You  say  you  purpose  being  a 
home  missionary.  Can  you  imagine  for  a  moment 
that  one,  situated  as  she  is,  would  contemplate  such 
a  life?  Her  parents  would  as  soon  bury  her." 

Hemstead  groaned  under  his  aunt's  remorseless 
words,  but  said  in  a  sort  of  blind  desperation  :  "  Her 
parents !  Is  this  Hindostan,  that  parents  can  treat 
their  daughters  as  merchandise?  A  girl  of  Miss 
Marsden's  force  and  nobility  of-character — " 

"  O  Frank,  hush  !  It  absolutely  makes  me  sick 
to  see  one  so  easily  deceived.  '  Nobility  of  char 
acter/  indeed  !  Well,  I  didn't  wish  to  speak  of  it. 
I  could  not  believe  it  even  of  Lottie,  but  nothing 
less  than  the  whole  truth  will  convince  you,"  and 
she  told  him  of  the  plot  in  which  Lottie  purposed 
to  make  him  the  ridiculous  subject  of  a  practical 
joke,  and  intimated  that  all  her  action  since  was 
but  the  carrying  out  of  that  plot. 

At  first  Hemstead  grew  deathly  pale,  and  his 
aunt,  thinking  he  was  going  to  faint,  began  fumbling 
for  her  salts.  But  a  moment  later  the  blood  suffused 
even  his  neck  and  brow,  and  he  said  passionately : 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  all  this;  Miss  Mars- 
den  is  not  capable  of  such  falsehood." 


474  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  Whether,  in  your  unreasoning  passion,  you  will 
believe  it  or  not  makes  no  difference,"  said  Mrs. 
Marchmont,  quietly.  "  It  is  true,  as  I  can  prove  by 
Addie  and  Miss  Parton." 

He  took  a  few  hasty  strides  up  and  down  the 
room  and  muttered : 

"  I  will  take  her  word  against  all  the  world. 
She  shall  answer  for  herself,"  and  he  rang  the  bell. 

When  the  servant  appeared  he  said : 

"  Please  ask  Miss  Marsden  to  come  here  at 
once." 

Mrs.  Marchmont  regretted  Hemstead's  action 
very  much,  but  it  was  too  firm  and  decided  to  be 
prevented.  She  had  planned  that  after  his  "  eyes 
had  been  opened  to  his  folly  "  and  Lottie's  frivolity, 
to  say  the  least,  her  nephew  would,  with  quiet 
dignity,  cease  his  attentions,  and  perhaps  might 
shorten  his  visit.  She  had  a  horror  of  scenes,  but 
feared  that  one  was  coming  now. 

Hemstead  admitted  Lottie  with  a  silent  bow 
and  gave  her  a  chair. 

When  she  saw  his  grave,  pale  face,  her  heart 
misgave  her  strangely,  and  she  trembled  so  that 
even  he  noticed  it,  and  also  another  fact — she  did 
not  meet  his  eyes.  He  fastened  his  upon  her,  as  if 
he  would  read  her  soul,  for  he  now  felt  that  more 
than  life  was  at  stake. 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  in  a  low,  deep  tone, 
"  my  aunt  has  made  a  strange  charge  against  you, 
but  I  said  to  her,  and  I  now  say  to  you,  that  I  will 
take  your  word  against  all  the  world.  She  asserts, 


THE  END  OF  THE  JEST.  475 

and  she  gives  the  names  of  her  witnesses,  that 
your  action — your  kindness  toward  me  from  the 
first,  has  been  but  the  carrying  out  of  a  deliberate 
and  heartless  jest.  Is  it  true  ?  " 

Lottie's  wonted  quickness  failed  her.  She  had 
been  so  happy,  she  had  seemed  to  have  got  so  far 
beyond  her  old,  false  self,  and  so  established  in  his 
affection,  that  such  a  reverse  did  not  appear  possi 
ble.  But  the  evil  that  at  one  time  she  had  feared 
had  now  come  in  a  form  so  unexpected  and  serious, 
that,  for  a  moment,  she  was  stunned  and  bewil 
dered,  and  fell  into  helpless  confusion.  The  nature 
of  the  case  aggravated  her  distress.  How  could 
she  explain  ?  What  could  she  say  ?  In  response 
to  his  question  she  only  trembled  more  violently 
and  buried  her  burning  face  in  her  hands. 

He  saw  in  this  action  confirmation  of  fears  that 
he  at  first  would  scarcely  entertain,  and  regarded 
her  a  moment  with  a  strange  expression  upon  his 
face — anger  and  pity  blended,  and  then  silently  left 
the  room. 

The  sleigh  stood  at  the  door,  and  the  coachman 
was  just  starting  on  an  errand  to  Newburgh. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  looked  with  surprise  at  his 
nephew's  pale  face ;  a  surprise  that  was  greatly  in 
creased  as  the  young  man  seized  his  hat  and  coat, 
and  said  in  a  husky  tone: 

"  I  am  going  to  New  York  for  some  days,"  and 
he  sprang  into  the  sleigh  and  was  driven  away. 

"  Well,"  said  the  old  man,  testily,  "  if  she  '  stop 
ped  '  him  as  easily  as  that  he  deserves  to  lose  her." 


476  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

And  Mrs.  Marchmont,  seeing  Hemstead  depart 
so  silently,  congratulated  herself  that  she  had 
escaped  a  scene  after  all,  and  complacently  thought, 
"  These  things  can  be  '  stopped  '  if  taken  in  time, 
notwithstanding  brother's  sentimental  nonsense." 

As  poor  Lottie's  mind  emerged  from  its  chaos 
into  connected  thought,  she  speedily  came  to  the 
conclusion  to  tell  Hemstead  the  whole  truth,  to 
condemn  herself  more  severely  than  even  he  could 
in  his  anger,  and  ask  his  forgiveness. 

But  when  she  raised  her  tearful  face  to  speak, 
he  was  gone. 

She  heard  the  sound  of  bells.  A  sudden  fear 
chilled  her,  and  she  sprang  to  the  window  and  saw 
a  vanishing  form  that  she  dreaded  might  be  his. 
Without  a  word  to  Mrs.  Marchmont,  she  rushed 
down  to  the  lower  hall,  where  she  found  Mr.  Dim- 
merly  fuming  about. 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Hemstead?"  she  asked,  eagerly. 

"What  the  deuce  is  the  matter?  What  have  you 
and  sister  been  saying  that  Frank  should  come 
down  here  white  as  a  sheet  ?  " 

"  But  where  is  he  ?  "  she  asked  again,  in  a  tone 
that  her  uncle  never  heard  her  use  before. 

"  Gone  to  New  York  for  several  days,"  he  said. 

Lottie  tottered  a  moment  as  if  she  had  received 
a  blow.  With  one  hand  she  steadied  herself  on 
the  balustrade  of  the  stairs,  while  she  passed  the 
other  across  her  brow,  then  turned  and  wearily 
climbed  to  her  room. 


LOYAL. 


477 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

LOYAL. 

BEL  was  startled  at  the  pallor  of  Lottie's  face 
as  she  entered  the  room,  and  rose  hastily  to 
offer  assistance,  but  Lottie  motioned  her  away. 
Without  a  word  she  threw  herself  upon  the  bed  and 
signified  her  grief  and  despair  by  an  act  as  old  as 
the  oldest  records  of  humanity — she  "  turned  her 
face  to  the  wall." 

Bel  knew  that  Mrs.  Marchmont  had  "  spoken 
plainly,"  and  had  seen  Hemstead  drive  away.  She 
expected  Lottie  to  come  to  her  room  in  a  towering 
passion,  and  was  prepared  to  weather  the  storm  in 
cynical  endurance,  assured  that  her  friend  would 
eventually  thank  her  for  having  had  a  hand  in  break 
ing  up  the  "  whole  absurd  thing." 

But  when  Lottie  entered,  with  the  expression  of 
one  who  had  received  a  mortal  wound — when  in 
silence  and  despair  she  had  turned  her  face  from  all 
the  world  as  if  there  were  nothing  left  in  it  for 
which  she  cared,  the  nervous  young  lady  began  to 
fear  that  this  affair  might  not  pass  away  like  an  or 
dinary  "  mood." 

She  reasoned  and  remonstrated,  but  Lottie  did 
not  heed,  and  scarcely  heard  her.  Then  she  went  to 
Mrs.  Marchmont,  and  disturbed  even  that  lady's 


478  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

complacency  by  her  account  of  Lottie's  appearance 
and  manner.  But  with  approving  consciences  they 
both  said : 

"  It  was  time  something  was  done." 

The  dinner  hour  came,  but  Lottie  silently  shook 
her  head  to  all  urging  to  come  down.  It  was  the 
same  at  supper.  Entreaty,  remonstrance,  the  as 
sumption  of  hurt  and  injured  tones  were  alike  un 
availing.  She  lay  motionless,  like  one  stunned  and 
under  partial  paralysis. 

Mrs.  Marchmont  lost  her  complacency  utterly, 
and  Mr.  Dimmerly  proved  but  Job's  comforter,  as 
he  snarled, 

"  You  have  '  stopped  '  it  with  a  vengeance.  It's 
always  the  way  when  people  meddle." 

Nervous  Bel  was  in  a  perfect  tremor  of  anxiety, 
perplexity,  and  weak  remorse  ;  and  she  kept  flitting 
in  and  out  of  the  room  as  pale  and  restless  as  a  dis 
quieted  ghost." 

De  Forrest  thought  he  ought  to  be  "  chief 
mourner,"  but  no  one  seemed  to' pay  much  atten 
tion  to  him. 

As  for  Lottie,  one  ever  present  thought  seemed 
scorching  her  brain  and  withering  heart  and  hope. 

"  He  thinks  me  false — false  in  everything — false 
in  every  glance  and  word  to  him — false  even  when 
I  spoke  of  sacred  things,  and  he  will  despise  me  for 
ever." 

Little  wonder  that  she  was  so  drearily  apathetic 
to  all  that  could  be  said  or  done  to  rouse  her.  The 
fall  from  the  pinnacle  of  her  religious  -hope  and 


LO  YAL, 


479 


earthly  happiness  was  too  far  and  great  to  permit 
speedy  recovery. 

At  last  she  rose,  and  mechanically  disrobed  for 
the  night ;  but  no  sleep  blessed  her  eyes,  for,  on 
every  side,  she  saw,  in  flaming  letters,  the  word 
" false."  With  increasing  vividness  her  fancy  por 
trayed  a  pale,  stern,  averted  face. 

The  next  morning  she  was  quite  ill,  and  her 
aunt,  in  alarm,  was  about  sending  for  the  physician, 
but  Lottie  prevented  her  by  saying,  somewhat 
coldly: 

"  What  drug  has  the  doctor  for  my  trouble?  If 
you  really  wish  me  to  get  better,  give  Bel  another 
room,  and  leave  me  to  myself.  I  must  fight  this 
battle  out  alone." 

"  Now,  Lottie,  how  can  you  take  a  little  thing 
so  greatly  to  heart  ?  " 

"  Is  it  a  little  thing,  that  the  one  whom  I  most 
honor  and  respect  in  all  the  world  regards  me  as  a 
false  flirt?" 

"  You  surely  cannot  apply  such  language  to  my 
nephew?  " 

"  I  do ;  and  on  the  best  grounds.  If  I  am 
young,  I  am  somewhat  capable  of  judging.  He  is 
not  the  first  man  I  have  seen.  You  do  not  know, 
and  have  never  appreciated  Mr.  Hemstead." 

"  But,  Lottie,  compare  your  station  and  pros 
pects  with  his." 

"  There  is  scarcely  any  one  with  whom  I  would 
not  exchange  prospects.  I  am  sick  of  society's 
artificial  distinctions,  in  which  true  worth  and  man- 


480  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

hood — all  that  Heaven  cares  for — count  for  noth 
ing.  What  does  Mr.  Hemstead  care  about  my 
wealth,  name,  and  position  in  New  York.  He 
looks  at  me  ;  and  you,  or,  rather,  my  own  senseless 
folly,  have  made  me  appear  a  weak,  false  thing, 
that,  from  the  very  laws  of  his  being,  he  cannot 
help  despising.  But  it  was  cruel  hard  in  you  and 
Bel,  when  you  saw  that  I  was  trying  to  be  a  dif 
ferent, — a  better  girl,  to  show  him  only  what  I  was, 
and  give  me  no  chance  to  explain.  He  will  never 
trust, — never  even  look  at  me  again."  And,  for  the 
first  time,  the  unhappy  girl  burst  into  a  passion  of 
tears,  and  sobbed  so  long  and  violently  that  Mrs. 
Marchmont  had  a  distressing  consciousness  that 
her  worldly  wisdom  was  not  equal  to  this  case  at 
all.  She  would  have  telegraphed  Hemstead  to 
return,  if  she  had  known  where  to  address  him. 
She  was  often  tempted  to  write  to  Lottie's  mother, 
but  dreaded  the  reproaches  of  Mrs.  Marsden  for 
permitting  matters  to  reach  such  a  crisis  before 
"  stopping  "  them.  And  so,  in  anxiety  and  per 
plexity,  the  day  dragged  slowly  on,  until,  at  last, 
Lottie,  wearied  out,  fell  into  the  heavy  sleep  of 
utter  exhaustion,  from  which  she  did  not  wake  till 
the  following  morning. 

But  the  respite  from  that  most  depressing  of  all 
suffering,  mental  trouble,  had  given  her  a  chance, 
and  her  healthful  nature  began  to  recover. 

She  was  a  girl  of  too  much  force  and  character 
to  succumb  long  to  any  misfortune ;  and,  as  she 
said  to  her  aunt,  she  meant  to  fight  this  battle  out 
to  some  kind  of  a  solution. 


LOYAL.  481 

To  the  surprise  of  every  one,  she  appeared  at 
the  breakfast-table,  very  pale,  but  quiet,  and  per 
fectly  self-possessed.  There  was  a  dignity  and  de 
cision  in  her  bearing,  however,  which  would  make 
even  Mrs.  Marchmont  hesitate  before  she  "meddled  " 
again.  De  Forrest  was  half  afraid  of  her,  and  began 
to  realize  that  she  was  not  the  girl  he  brought  to 
the  country  but  a  few  weeks  since. 

After  breakfast,  she  dismissed  Bel,  by  saying 
plainly,  that  she  wished  to  be  alone,  and  then  sat 
down,  and,  for  the  first  time,  tried  to  clearly  under 
stand  the  situation.  It  grew  more  and  more  evi 
dent  how  desperately  against  her  were  appearances. 
She  had  been  false  at  first,  and,  in  a  certain  sense, 
must  appear  false  to  the  last,  in  that  she  had  not 
told  him  the  truth.  Besides,  just  when  and 
how  she  had  become  in  earnest  she  could  not  re 
member.  The  poor  girl  was  greatly  'discouraged, 
and  again  gave  way  to  tears,  as  if  her  heart  would 
break. 

But  in  the  midst  of  her  sore  trouble,  like  a  flash 
of  genial  light,  came  the  thought,  "  If  Mr.  Hem- 
stead  will  never  look  at  me  again,  there  is  One  who 
will,"  and  she  sprang  up,  and  having  found  a  Bible, 
turned  again  to  its  shortest  text,  remembering,  with 
a  quick  sob,  how  she  had  first  discovered  it.  With 
almost  the  distinctness  and  reality  of  actual  pres 
ence,  there  rose  up  before  her  mind  One  who, 
with  bowed  head,  wept  with  men  for  men.  Every 
tear  of  sympathy  appeared  to  fall  on  her  bruised 
heart ;  and  hope,  that  she  believed  dead,  began  to 
21 


482  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

revive.     She  just    clung   to   one  simple  thought : 
""He  feels  sorry  for  me ;  "  and  it  comforted  her. 

Then  she  began  to  turn  the  leaves  back  and  forth 
to  find  places  where  Jesus  showed  kindness  and  for 
gave,  and  she  soon  found  that  this  was  His  life — 
His  work  in  which  He  never  wearied — kindness  to 
all,  forgiveness  for  all.  Then  the  thought  stole  into 
her  heart  as  the  dove  brought  the  "olive  leaf" 
from  across  a  dreary  waste,  "  If  Mr.  Hemstead  is 
like  his  Master  he  will  forgive  me."  Hope  now 
grew  strong  and  steadily,  and  the  impulsive,  demon 
strative  girl  kissed  the  little  Book,  pressed  it  to  her 
heart,  and  caressed  it  as  if  it  were  a  thing  of  life. 

She  got  out  her  portfolio  and  wrote : 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  I  sincerely  ask  your  forgive 
ness  for  my  folly,  which  you  cannot  condemn  as 
severely  as  I  do.  Though  unworthy,  indeed,  of  your 
friendship  and  esteem,  can  you  believe  that  I  am 
not  now  the  weak,  wicked  creature  that  I  was  when 
we  first  met?  But  I  have  not  the -courage  to  plead 
my  own  cause.  I  know  that  both  facts  and  ap 
pearances  are  against  me.  I  can  only  ask  you, 
Who  told  His  disciples  to  forgive  each  other, 
*  seventy  times  seven  '  ? 

"  Yours,  in  sorrow  and  regret, 

"  LOTTIE  MARSDEN." 

"  I  have  now  done  the  best  I  can,"  she  said, 
"  The  issue  is  in  God's  hands." 

At  the  dinner-table  she  again  perplexed  the 
mystified  household.  They,  in  their  narrow  world- 
liness,  had  ~no  key  to  such  a  problem  as  Lottie 


LO  YAL. 


483 


Marsden  had  become.  She  was  gentleness  itself. 
The  mystic  tears  falling  from  Divine  eyes  had 
melted  away  all  coldness  and  hardness,  and  the 
touch  of  her  words  and  manner,  if  we  may  so  speak, 
had  in  it  a  kindliness  and  regard  for  others  to  which 
even  the  most  callous  respond.  Patient  self-for- 
getfulness  is  the  most  God-like  and  the  most  win 
ning  of  all  tfre  graces. 

After  dinner,  Mr.  Dimmerly  shuffled  away  by 
himself,  with  a  sound  between  a  sniffle  and  his  old 
chuckle,  muttering,  "  I  don't  believe  it's  *  stopped/ 
after  all.  Any  way,  I  wish  she  were  going  to  be  a 
home-missionary  in  my  home." 

Lottie  went  with  Dan  again  to  the  pond,  and 
then  to  the  "  fallen  tree ;  "  but  she  found  no  other 
tryst  there,  save  memories,  that,  in  view  of  what 
had  happened,  were  very  painful. 

After  her  return,  she  no  longer  shunned  the 
others,  but  sat  down  and  talked  quietly  with  them, 
as  multitudes  of  men  and  women  are  doing  daily, 
giving  no  sign  that  in  the  meantime  they  are  pa 
tiently  watching  at  the  sepulchre  of  a  buried  hope, 
which  may,  or  may  not,  rise  again. 

As  with  Lottie  at  first,  so  with  Hemstead,  the 
word  "false  "  seemed  to  have  the  malignant  power 
to  quench  hope  and  happiness.  If  it  is  faith  that 
saves,  it  would  seem  that  it  is  its  opposite — distrust 
— that  most  quickly  destroys.  In  no  way  can  we 
deal  more  fatal  and  ruinous  blows  than  to  deceive 
those  who  trust  us. 

And  Hemstead  felt,  at  first,  that  he  had  been 


484  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST, 

deceived  and  trifled  with,  in  all  that  was  sacred. 
For  hours,  both  faith  and  reason  reeled  in  pas 
sion,  that  grew  and  raged  in  the  strong  man's 
breast,  like  a  tropical  storm.  He  plunged  into  the 
streets,  crowded  with  his  unknowing,  uncaring  fel 
low  creatures,  as  he  would  lose  himself  in  the 
depths  of  a  lonely  forest,  and  walked  hour  after 
hour,  he  knew  not  and  cared  not  whithjer. 

Two  thoughts  pursued  him  like  goading  phan 
toms, — false — deceived. 

At  last,  when  the  frenzy  left  him,  weak  and  ex 
hausted,  he  found  himself  near  a  large  hotel,  and 
he  went  in  and  slept  almost  as  the  dead  sleep. 

In  his  case  also  sleep  proved  "  nature's  sweet 
restorer."  In  the  morning  faith  and  reason  sat  to 
gether  on  their  throne,  and  he  recognized  the  duty 
that  whatever  the  truth  might  be,  he  must  act  the 
part  of  a  man  and  a  Christian. 

He  sat  down  at  last  and  calmly  tried  to  disen 
tangle  the  web.  Second  thoughts  brought  wiser 
judgment,  for,  after  going  over  every  day  and  hour 
of  his  acquaintance  with  Lottie,  he  could  scarcely 
resist  the  conclusion  that  if  she  had  begun  in  false 
hood  she  was  ending  in  truth.  If  she,  in  all  her 
words  and  manner,  had  been  only  acting,  he  could 
never  trust  his  senses  again  or  be  able  to  distin 
guish  between  the  hollow  and  the  real. 

Hour  after  hour  he  sat  and  thought.  He  held  a 
solemn  assize  within  his  own  breast  and  marshalled 
all  he  could  remember  as  witnesses  for  and  against 
her.  Much  in  her  conduct  that  at  first  had  puz- 


LOYAL.  485 

zled,  now  grew  clear  in  view  of  her  purpose  to 
victimize  him,  and  even  as  late  as  Christmas  eve 
he  remembered  how  her  use  of  the  word  "  comedy  " 
had  jarred  unpleasantly  upon  his  ear.  But  on  the 
other  hand  there  seemed  even  more  conclusive 
evidence  that  she  had  gradually  grown  sincere,  and 
come  to  mean  all  she  said  and  did.  Could  the 
color  that  came  and  went  like  light  from  an  inner 
flame — could  tears  that  seemed  to  come  more 
from  her  heart  than  eyes — could  words  that  had 
sounded  so  true  and  womanly,  and  that  had  often 
dwelt  on  the  most  sacred  themes  be  only  simulated  ? 

"  If  so,"  he  groaned,  "  then  there  are  only  two 
in  the  wide  universe  that  I  can  ever  trust — God  and 
mother." 

Moreover,  in  her  trial,  Lottie  had  an  eloquent 
advocate  to  whom  even  deliberate  reason  appeared 
only  too  ready  to  lend  an  attentive  ear — the  stu 
dent's  heart. 

Therefore  she  finally  received  a  better  vindica 
tion  than  the  Scotch  verdict  "not  proven,"  and  the 
young  man  began  to  bitterly  condemn  himself  for 
having  left  so  hastily,  and  before  Lottie  had  time 
to  explain  and  defend  herself. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  go  back  at  once  and 
give  her  another  hearing. 

But  almost  before  he  was  aware,  he  found  a  new 
culprit  brought  to  the  bar  for  judgment— himself. 

If  the  trial,  just  completed,  had  failed  to  prove 
Lottie's  guilt,  it  had  most  conclusively  shown  him 
his  love.  He  saw  how  it  had  developed  and  grown 


486  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

while  he  was  blind  to  its  existence.  He  saw  that 
his  wild  agony  of  the  preceding  day  was  not  over 
falsehood  and  deception  in  the  abstract,  but  over 
the  supposed  falsehood  of  a  woman  whom  he  had 
come  to  love  as  his  own  soul.  And  even  now  he 
was  exulting  in  the  hope  that  she  might  have 
passed  as  unconsciously  as  himself,  into  like  sweet 
thraldom.  In  the  belief  of  her  truthfulness,  how 
else  could  he  interpret  her  glances,  tones,  actions, 
and  even  plainly-spoken  words  ? 

But  the  flame  of  hope  that  had  burned  higher 
and  brighter,  gradually  sank  down  again  as  he  re 
called  his  aunt's  words,  "  How  is  all  this  sentiment 
to  end  ? — in  only  sentiment  ?  " 

He  remembered  his  chosen  calling.  Could  he 
ask  this  child  of  luxury  to  go  with  him  to  the  far 
West  and  share  his  life  of  toilsome  privation  ?  He 
had  long  felt  that  the  work  of  a  missionary  was  his 
vocation.  She  had  never  had  any  such  feeling.  He 
recalled  her  words,  spoken  but  yesterday,  it  seemed  : 
"  Do  you  imagine  that  any  nice  girl  will  go  out  with 
you  among  the  border  ruffians?  " 

That  is  the  way  it  appeared  to  her  then.  If 
such  a  thing  were  possible,  that  she  had  become 
attached  to  him,  would  it  not  be  an  unfair  and  al 
most  a  mean  thing  to  take  advantage  of  her  affec 
tion,  and,  by  means  of  it,  commit  her  to  a  life  for 
which  she  was  unfitted,  and  which  might  become 
almost  a  martyrdom.  The  change  from  her  luxu 
rious  home  to  frontier-life  would  be  too  great.  If 
she  had  felt  called  of  God  to  such  a  work — if  she 


LO  YAL. 


487 


laid  herself  as  a  sacrifice  upon  the  Divine  Altar, 
that  would  be  very  different,  for  the  Master  would 
give  no  task  without  imparting  strength  and  pa 
tience  for  its  fulfilment.  Besides,  He  had  Heaven 
to  give  in  return. 

But  his  unselfish  manhood  told  him  plainly  that 
he,  Frank  Hemstead,  had  no  right  to  ask  any  such 
sacrifice. 

Incidentally,  Lottie  had  mentioned  the  number 
of  her  residence,  and  he  hastily  went  up  Fifth 
Avenue,  and  saw  her  palace  of  a  home.  Every 
stone  in  the  stately  abode  seemed  part  of  the  bar 
rier  between  them. 

An  elegant  carriage,  with  liveried  coachman 
and  footman  came  around  to  the  entrance,  and  a 
lady,  who  had  Lottie's  features,  only  they  had 
grown  rigid  with  pride  and  age,  entered  it,  and 
was  driven  away.  As  he  saw  her  stately  bearing, 
and  the  pomp  and  show  of  her  life,  he  could  al 
most  believe  his  aunt,  that-  this  proud  woman  of 
the  world  would  rather  bury  the  daughter  of 
whom  she  expected  so  much  than  marry  her  to  an 
obscure  home  missionary. 

His  heart  grew  heavy  as  lead,  and  he  groaned  : 
"  Even  if  she  loves  me  I  have  lost  her." 

Then  came  the  supreme  temptation  of  his  life. 
Why  must  he  be  a  home  missionary?  Who  was 
there  to  compel  such  a  sacrifice  of  himself?  He 
might  come  to  this  city,  and  win  a  place  as  high  as 
hers,  as  many  poorer  and  more  friendless  than  him 
self  had  done.  He  might  even  seek  some  well-located 


488  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Eastern  church.  He  might  aim  to  be  one  of  the 
great  popular  preachers  of  the  day ;  and  so  be 
able  to  come  to  the  door  of  that  proud  home,  and 
ask  what  it  would  be  no  condescension  to  grant. 

Again  he  was  out  in  the  storm — again  he  was 
in  the  thick  of  the  battle ;  passionate  longings  and 
love  on  one  hand,  stern,  steady  conscience  on  the 
other.  In  painful  pre-occupation  he  again  walked 
unknown  distances.  His  aimless  steps  took  him 
away  from  the  mansions  of  the  rich  down  among 
the  abodes  of  the  poor.  As  he  was  crossing  a 
street  his  troubled  eyes  rested  upon-  a  plain  cross 
over  a  lowly  chapel  door.  He  stopped  before  it  as 
a  superstitious  Romanist  might,  not  reverencing 
the  emblem,  but  in  vivid  remembrance  of  Him  who 
suffered  thereon.  He  recalled  His  self-sacrifice 
and  His  words,  "  Whosoever  doth  not  bear  his 
cross  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disciple." 

He  bowed  his  head  a  moment,  then  turned, 
quietly,  and  went  back  to  his  hotel. 

The  conflict  was  over — the  temptation  passed 
— and  he  was  loyal. 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE. 


489 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

MR.   DIMMERLY   CONCLUDES  TO   "  MEDDLE." 

HEMSTEAD  found  some  solace,  the  next 
two  days,  in  the  selection  of  books  for  his 
library.  He  did  not  expect  to  visit  the  East  again 
for  many  years,  and  made  all  his  arrangements 
accordingly.  He  wrote  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell  a 
letter,  which  they  regarded  as  a  model  in  its 
expression  of  delicate  appreciation  and  manly 
modesty. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  week  he  returned  to 
Mrs.  Marchmont's,  by  no  means  sure  whether  he 
would  find  Lottie  there  or  not,  and  quite  certain 
that  the  less  he  saw  of  her  the  better. 

He  walked  from  the  depot,  and  went  around 
by  the  way  of  the  pond.  His  resolution  almost 
failed  him,  as  he  looked  at  the  "  fallen  tree,"  espe 
cially  as  he  believed  he  saw  evidence,  from  traces 
in  the  snow,  that  Lottie  had  visited  the  place  in 
his  absence. 

Lottie  looked  forward  to  meeting  him  again  with 
a  strange  blending  of  hope  and  fear,  and  had  por 
trayed  to  herself  every  possible  way  in  which  she 
imagined  it  could  take  place.  But  it  happened,  as 
such  things  usually  do,  after  the  most  prosaic 
fashion  possible.  They  were  all  sitting  in  the  par- 
21* 


4QO  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

lor,  after  dinner,  and  Hemstead  opened  the  door, 
and  walked  in. 

Her  face  became  scarlet,  but  his  was  so  pale  as 
to  remind  her  of  the  time  when  he  carried  Miss 
Martell  into  that  room.  It  was,  indeed,  the  pallor 
of  one  who  was  making  a  desperate  moral  effort. 
But  he  was  successful,  and  spoke  to  her,  giving  his 
hand,  in  almost  the  same  marmer  as  he  greeted  his 
aunt.  His  bearing  toward  even  De  Forrest  was 
most  courteous.  He  then  sat  down  composedly, 
and  commenced  talking  on  ordinary  topics. 

Lottie's  heart  failed  her.  This  was  entirely  dif 
ferent  from  what  she  expected.  His  manner  was 
not  in  the  least  cold  or  resentful,  but  his  words 
seemed  to  come  from  a  great  distance,  and  his  eyes 
no  longer  sought  her  face,  as  if  she  only  had  for 
him  the  true  sunlight.  Their  old,  quick,  subtle  in 
terchange  of  sympathy  and  thought  appeared  lost, 
as  completely  as  if  a  thick  wall  rose  between  them. 
The  warm-hearted  girl  could  not  act  his  part.  She 
was  silent,  and  her  head  bent  low  over  her  work. 

Bel  and  Mrs.  Marchmont  were  greatly  pleased, 
and  gave  Hemstead  credit  for  being  a  "  very  sensi 
ble  young  man,  who  having  been  shown  his  folly, 
could  act  like  a  gentleman  and  not  make  a  fuss." 

Even  De  Forrest  looked  at  the  student  quite 
approvingly,  especially  as  he  had  been  to  a  city 
tailor  and  was  clothed  in  taste  and  in  harmony  with 
his  manly  proportions.  No  amount  of  grace  and  vir 
tue  could  find  recognition  in  De  Forrest's  eyes,  un 
less  dressed  in  the  latest  mode. 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE.    491 

Mr.  Dimmerly,  from  behind  his  newspaper, 
stared  for  a  long  time  at  Lottie  and  his  nephew, 
and  then  snarled  abruptly : 

"  It's  getting  deuced  cold.  The  brook  will  stop 
running  down  hill  to-night,  I'm  a  thinking — freeze 
up,"  and  he  stirred  the  fire  as  if  he  had  a  spite 
against  it. 

Lottie's  head  bent  lower.  She  was  beginning  to 
understand  her  crochety  uncle.  She,  too,  thought 
that  it  was  getting  very  "  cold." 

After  a  while  Hemstead  quietly  left  them  and 
went  to  his  room  and  did  not  appear  again  till  they 
were  all  at  supper.  He  then,  with  a  simple,  yet 
quiet,  high-bred  ease, — the  bearing  of  a  natural 
gentleman — gave  sketches  of  what  he  had  seen  in 
New  York,  and  the  latest  literary  gossip.  His 
manner  toward  Lottie  was,  as  near  as  possible,  the 
same  as  toward  Bel  and  his  cousin.  He  so  com 
pletely  ignored  all  that  had  happened — all  that  had 
passed  between  them  that  Lottie  almost  feared  to 
give  him  the  note  she  had  written.  She  could  not 
rally,  but  grew  more  and  more  depressed  and  silent, 
a  fact  which  De  Forrest  and  her  aunt  marked  un 
easily. 

After  supper  he  remarked  that  he  would  go  over 
and  say  good-bye  to  Mr.  and  Miss  Martell  and 
Harcourt. 

With  what  a  foreboding  chill  Lottie  heard  that 
word  "Good-bye!"  Would  he,  indeed,  go  away 
without  giving  her  a  chance  to  say  one  word  of  ex 
planation  ?  She  could  endure  it  no  longer.  In  ac- 


492  FROM  JEST  70  EARNEST. 

cordance  with  her  impulsive  nature,  she  went 
straight  to  him,  and  said  in  a  low  tone : 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  will  you  please  read  that?" 

He  trembled,  but  took  the  note,  and  said,  after 
a  moment,  "  Certainly,"  and  was  gone. 

An  hour  passed,  and  another,  still  he  did  not  re 
turn.  Lottie's  head  bent  lower  and  lower  over  her 
work.  Mr.  Dimmerly  never  played  a  more  wretched 
game  of  whist.  ^  At  last  he  quite  startled  them  all 
by  throwing  down  the  cards  and  saying,  in  the  most 
snappish  of  tones: 

"  I  wish  the  blockhead  would  come  home." 

"  Why,  brother,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Marchmont,  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 

"  I  want  to  lock  up,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  in 
some  confusion. 

"  It's  not  late,  yet." 

"  Well,  it  ought  to  be.  I  never  knew  such  an 
eternally  long  evening.  The  clocks  are  all  wrong, 
and  everything  is  wrong." 

"  There,  there,  you  have  had  bad  luck  over  your 
whist." 

But  Lottie  knew  what  was  the  matter,  and  she 
gave  him  a  shy,  grateful  look.  But  the  old"  man 
was  still  more  incensed,  when  he  saw  that  there 
were  tears  in  her  eyes,  and  he  shuffled  away,  mut 
tering  something  that  sounded  a  little  profane. 

Lottie,  soon  after,  left  the  room  also,  but  as  she 
was  passing  through  the  hall  she  met  Hemstead, 
who  had  come  in  at  a  side  door.  He  took  her  hand 
in  both  of  his,  and  said,  gently : 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE. 


493 


"  I  do  forgive  you,  fully  and  completely,  and  I 
have  your  forgiveness  to  ask  for  my  hasty  judg 
ment." 

"  And  will  you  be  my  friend  again  ?  "  she  asked, 
timidly,  and  in  a  way  that  taxed  his  resolution 
sorely. 

"  You  have  no  truer  friend,"  he  said,  after  a  mo 
ment. 

"  I  think  it  was  a  little  cruel,  in  so  true  a  friend, 
to  leave  me  all  this  desperately  long  evening." 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  he  said,  abruptly,  and 
passed  hastily  up  to  his  room,  and  she  did  not  see 
him  again  that  night. 

What  could  he  mean?  Had  he  recognized  her 
love,  and  not  being  able  to  return  it  fully,  did  he 
thus  avoid  her  and  hasten  through  his  visit  ?  The 
bare  thought  crimsoned  her  cheek.  But  she  felt 
that  this  could  not  be  true.  She  knew  he  had  loved 
her,  and  he  could  not  have  changed  so  soon.  It 
was  more  probable  that  he  believed  that  she  was 
totally  unfit  to  share  in  his  sacred  work — that  he 
feared  she  would  be  a  hindrance,  and,  therefore,  he 
was  shunning,  and  seeking  to  escape  from  one  who 
might  dim  the  lustre  of  his  spiritual  life  and  work. 
In  some  respects,  she  had  grown  quite  humble  of 
late,  and  feared  he  might  be  correct,  and  that  she  was 
indeed  utterly  unfit  to  share  in  his  sacred  calling. 

"  But  if  he  only  knew  how  hard  I  would  try  !  " 
she  said,  with  a  touch  of  pathos  in  her  tone,  which 
would  have  settled  matters  if  he  had  heard  it. 

That  he  was  sacrificing  himself  rather  than  ask 


494  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

her  to  share  in  his  life  privation  did  not  occur  .to 
her. 

Restless  and  unhappy,  she  wandered  into  the 
dining-room,  where  she  found  Mr.  Dimmerly  stand 
ing  on  the  hearth-rug,  and  staring  at  the  fire  in  a  fit 
of  the  deepest  abstraction.  Lottie  was  so  depressed, 
that  she  felt  that  even  a  little  comfort  from  him 
would  be  welcome  ;  so  she  stole  to  his  side  and 
took  his  arm.  He  stroked  her  head  with  a  gentle 
ness  quite  unusual  with  him.  Finally  he  said,  in  a 
voice  that  he  meant  to  be  very  harsh  and  matter 
of  fact : 

"Hasn't  that  nephew  of  mine  got  home  yet? 
I  feel  as  if  I  could  break  his  head." 

"  And  I  feel,"  said  Lottie,  hiding  her  face  on 
his  shoulder,  "  as  if  he  would  break  my  heart,  and 
you  are  the  only  one  in  the  house  who  understands 
me  or  cares." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  after  a 
little,  "  others  'have  been  meddling,  I  think  I  will 
meddle  a  little." 

Lottie  started  up  in  a  way  that  surprised  him, 
and  with  eyes  flashing  through  her  tears  said  : 

"  Not  a  word  to  him,  as  you  value  my  love." 

"  Hold  on,"  said  the  little  man,  half  breath 
lessly.  "What's  the  matter?  you  go  off  like  a  keg 
of  powder." 

"  I  wouldn't  sue  for  the  hand  of  a  king,"  said 
Lottie,  heroically. 

"  Bless  you  child,  he  isn't  a  king.  He's  only 
Frank  Hemstead,  my  nephew — bound  to  be  a  for 
lorn  home  missionary,  he  says. 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE. 


495 


"  Well  then,"  she  said,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
"  if  he  can't  see  for  himself,  let  him  marry  a  pious 
Western  giantess,  who  will  go  with  him  for  the  sake 
of  the  cause  instead  of  himself." 

"  In  the  meantime,"  suggested  Mr.  Dimmerly, 
"  we  will  go  back  to  New  York  and  have  a  good 
time  as  before." 

This  speech  brought  to  the  warm-hearted  girl 
another  revulsion  of  feeling,  and  again  hiding  her 
face  on  her  uncle's  shoulder,  she  sobbed : 

"  I  would  rather  be  his  slave  on  a  desert  island 
than  marry  the  richest  man  in  New  York." 

"  And  my  wise  and  prudent  sister  thought  it 
could  be  l  stopped  ',"  chuckled  Mr.  Dimmerly. 

"  But  remember,  uncle,  not  a  word  of  this  to 
him,  or  I  will  refuse  him  though  my  heart  break  a 
thousand  times.  If  he  does  not  love  me  well 
enough  to  ask  me  of  his  own  accord,  or  if  he  does 
not  think  I  am  fit  to  go  with  him,  I  would  rather 
die  than  thrust  myself  upon  him." 

"  Bless  me,  what  a  queer  compound  a  woman 
is  !  It  won't  do  for  you  to  go  West.  You  will  set 
the  prairies  on  fire.  There,  there,  now  don't  be 
afraid.  If  you  think  I  can  say  anything  to  my 
nephew — the  thick-headed  blunderbuss — which  will 
prevent  his  getting  down  on  his  knees  to  ask  for 
what  he'll  never  deserve,  you  don't  know  the  Dim 
merly  blood.  Trust  to  the  wisdom  of  my  gray 
hairs  and  go  to  bed." 

"  But,  uncle,  I  would  rather  you  wouldn't  say 
anything  at  all,"  persisted  Lottie. 


496  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"Well  I  won't,  about  you/'  said  her  uncle  in  as 
sumed  irritability.  "  I  can  get  the  big  ostrich  to 
pull  his  head  out  of  the  sand  and  speak  for  himself, 
I  suppose.  He's  my  nephew  and  I'm  going  to 
have  a  talk  with  him  before  he  leaves  for  the  West. 
So  be  off,  I'm  getting  cross." 

But  Lottie  gave  him  a  kiss  that  stirred  even  his 
old,  withered  heart. 

"  Oh,  good  gracious,"  he  groaned  after  she  was 
gone,  "  Why  was  I  ever  '  stopped  ?  ' ' 

The  next  morning,  Hemstead  appeared  at 
breakfast  as  calm,  pale,  and  resolute  as  ever.  His 
manner  seemed  to  say  plainly  to  Lottie,  "  Our  old 
folly  is  at  an  end.  I  have  remembered  the  nature 
of  my  calling,  and  I  know  only  too  well  that  you 
are  unfitted  to  share  in  it." 

She  was  all  the  more  desponding,  as  she  remem 
bered  how  conscientious  he  was. 

"  If  he  thinks  it's  wrong,  there's  no  hope,"  she 
thought,  drearily. 

After  breakfast  Mr.  Dimmerly  said,  "  Nephew, 
I  wish  you  would  do  a  little  writing  for  me,  my 
hand  isn't  as  steady  as  it  was,"  and  he  took  the  stu 
dent  off  to  his  private  study. 

After  the  writing  was  finished,  Mr.  Dimmerly 
gave  a  few  awkward  preliminary  ahems,  and  then 
said  : 

"  So  you  go  West  next  Monday?" 

"  Yes.     I  wish  to  get  off  on  the  first  train." 

"  You  seem  very  anxious  to  get  away." 

"  I  am  sorry,  now,  I  ever  came,"  the  young  man 
said,  in  tones  of  the  deepest  sadness. 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE. 


497 


"  Thank  you." 

"  Oh,  it's  no  fault  of  yours.  You  and  aunt  have 
been  very  kind,  but  — 

"  But  you  are  thinking  of  the  '  noblest  and  most 
beautiful  being  in  existence,'  as  you  once  referred 
to  my  pretty  little  niece.  You  have,  evidently, 
changed  your  mind.  Did  you  see  some  one  in  New 
York  you  liked  better?" 

*  "  I  have  not  changed'  my  mind.  I  have  only 
learned  too  well  what  my  mind  is.  I  wish  that  I 
had  learned  it  sooner.  There  is  one  thing  that 
troubles  me  greatly,  uncle.  I  cannot  speak  of  it  to 
aunt,  because — well,  I  can't.  Do  you  think  that 
Miss  Marsden  cares  much  for  me?  She  will  surely 
forget  me,  will  she  not,  in  the  excitement  of  her 
city  life?  I  do  hope  she  has  no  such  feeling  as  I 
have." 

Mr.  Dimmerly  stared  at  his  nephew  as  if  he 
thought  him  demented. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  think  you  have  been  '  en 
chanted,  and  are  no  longer  yourself.'  You  now 
out-Bottom  old  Bottom  himself.  Do  you  mean 
to  say  that  you  love  such  a  gem  of  a  girl  as  Lottie, 
and  yet  hope  she  does  not  love  you,  and  will  soon 
forget  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do.  If  I  had  my  will,  she  would 
not  have  another  unhappy  hour  in  her  life." 

"  Well,  if  you  have  the  faintest  notion  that  she 
has  any  regard  for  you,  why  don't  you  get  down  on 
your  marrow-bones  and  plead  for  a  chance  to  make 
her  happy  ?  If  I  were  in  your  place,  and  there  was 


498  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

half  a  chance  to  win  a  Lottie  Marsden,  I  would 
sigh  like  a  dozen  furnaces,  and  swear  more  oaths 
than  were  heard  in  Flanders,  if  it  would  help  mat 
ters  along  any." 

"  But  would  you  ask  her  to  leave  a  home  of 
luxury,  her  kindred,  and  every  surrounding  of  culture 
a.nd  refinement,  to  go  out  on  a  rude  frontier,  and  to 
share  in  the  sternest  poverty  and  the  most  wear 
ing  of  work? " 

"  O-h-h,  that  is  the  hitch,  is  it  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Before  I  was  aware,  I  had  learned  to 
love  her.  I  trust  she  will  never  know  how  deeply, 
for  if  she  had  half  a  woman's  heart,  she  would  be 
sad  from  very  pity.  If,  unconsciously  to  herself, 
some  regard  for  me  has  grown  during  our  visit,  it 
would  be  a  mean  and  unmanly  thing  to  take 
advantage  of  it  to  inveigle  her  into  a  life  that 
would  be  a  painful  contrast  to  all  that  she  had 
known  before.  It  would  be  like  a  soldier  asking  a 
woman  to  share  all  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  a 
campaign." 

Mr.  Dimmerly  stroked  his  chin  thoughtfully, 
while  he  regarded  his  nephew  with  a  shrewd,  side 
long  glance.  "  Well,"  said  he,  suggestively,  "  there 
is  force  in  what  you  say.  But  is  there  any  neces 
sity  in  your  being  a  home  missionary,  and  living 
out  among  the  *  border  ruffians,'  as  Lottie  used  to 
call  them  ?  There  are  plenty  of  churches  at  the 
East.  Dr.  Beams  is  old  and  sick  ;  there  may  be  a 
vacancy  here  before  long." 

"  No,  uncle,"  said  Hemstead,  firmly,  "  I  fought 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE.    499 

that  fight  out  in  New  York,  and  it  was  a  hard  one. 
I  have  felt  for  years  that  I  must  be  a  missionary, 
and  shall  be  true  to  my  vocation.  It  's  duty"  and 
he  brought  his  clenched  hand  down  heavily  on  the 
table. 

"  My  good  gracious ! "  ejaculated  Mr.  Dim- 
merly,  giving  a  nervous  hop  in  the  air.  "  Between 
the  two,  what  will  become  of  me  ?  Yes,  yes ;  I 
see.  You  are  like  your  mother.  If  she  took  it  into 
her  head  that  anything  was  '  duty,'  all  the  world 
couldn't  change  her.  So,  rather  than  give  up  be 
ing  a  missionary,  you  will  sacrifice  yourself  and 
Lottie  too?  "  ' 

"  I  should  have  no  hesitation  in  making  the 
sacrifice  myself,  but  it  would  more  than  double  my 
pain  if  I  knew  she  suffered.  And  it  is  this  that 
troubles  me.  But  I  must  obey  my  orders,  whatever 
happens." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  dryly,  and  with  a 
queer  little  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  I  cannot  give  you 
much  aid  and  comfort.  I  never  meddle  in  such 
matters.  A  third  party  never  can.  Of  course  you 
can  sacrifice  yourself  and  your  own  happiness  if 
you  choose.  That  is  your  own  affair.  But  when  it 
comes  to  sacrificing  another,  that  is  very  different. 
Lottie  is  a  warm-hearted  girl  with  all  her  faults, 
and  if  she  ever  does  love,  it  will  be  no  half-way 
business  with  her.  So  be  careful  what  you  do. 
Sacrificing  her  happiness  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  sacrificing  your  own." 

"But  do  you  think  there  is  any  danger  of  such 


ijOO  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

a  thing?"  asked  Hemstcad,  in  a  tone  of  the  deep 
est  distress. 

"  Bless  me,  boy,  how  should  I  know  ?  "  said  his 
uncle,  in  seeming  irritability.  "  Do  you  think  that 
I  am  a  go-between  for  you  two?  Why  don't  you 
go  and  ask  her  like  a  man  ?  How  do  you  know  but 
she  has  a  vocation  to  be  a  missionary  as  well  as 
yourself?  " 

Hemstead  strided  up  and  down  the  room,  the 
picture  of  perplexity.  "  Was  ever  a  man  placed  in 
so  cruel  a  position  ? "  he  groaned.  But  after  a 
moment  he  became  quiet  and  said : 

"  When  a  thing  is  settled,  let  it  stay  settled  ; 
my  course  is  the  only  right  and  manly  one,"  and  he 
left  the  room  saying  he  would  be  out  for  a  walk  till 
dinner. 

But,  as  he  entered  the  hall,  Addie  cried : 

"  Frank,  you  must  go ;  we  won't  take  no  for 
an  answer." 

"Go  where?" 

"  To  West  Point.  It's  a  glorious  day.  We 
want  one  more  sleigh-ride  before  we  break  up  ;  one 
that  shall  exceed  all  the  others.  There  is  going  to 
be  a  cadet  hop  over  there  this  afternoon,  in  the 
dancing-hall,  and  a  friend  has  sent  for  us  to  come. 
I've  set  my  heart  on  going,  and  so  has  Bel  and 
Lottie.  Mother  says  that  we  can  go,  if  you  will  go 
with  us  and  drive,  for  the  coachman  is  ill.  You 
will  see  lots  of  grand  scenery,  and  all  that  kind  of 
thing,  which  you  like  so  much." 

"  And  have  you  set  your  heart  on  the  '  cadet 
hop  '  also?  "  asked  Hemstead  of  Lottie. 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE 


501 


"  I  think  I  would  appreciate  scenery  more  at 
present,"  she  said,  with  a  quick  blush. 

"You'll  go — say  you'll  go.  He'll  go,  mother. 
It's  all  settled.  Let  us  have  some  lunch,  and  we'll 
start  at  once ;  "  and  the  spoiled,  little  beauty 
already  anticipated  the  conquest  of  a  cadet  or  two 
as  a  holiday  episode. 

So,  in  a  single,  breezy  moment,  it  was  arranged, 
Hemstead  scarcely  having  a  voice  in  the  matter. 
As  he  mounted  to  his  room,  reason  told  him  that 
this  long  drive  in  the  society  of  the  one  whom  he 
believed  he  should  avoid,  for  her  sake  as  well  as 
his  own,  was  anything  but  wise.  But  he  tried  to 
satisfy  himself  with  the  thought  that  at  no  time 
would  he  be  alone  with  her,  and  his  heart  craved 
this  one  more  day  of  companionship,  before  a  life 
time  of  separation. 

As  Lottie  was  about  to  ascend  the  stairs,  she 

heard,  for  the  first  time  since  that  wretched  Mon- 

.jday,  Mr.  Dimmerly's  queer,  chuckling  laugh.     She 

looked  into  the  parlor,  and  seeing  that  he  was  alone, 

went  straight  to  him,  and  said : 

"  Now !  what  do  you  mean  by  that  queer,  little 
laugh  of  yours  ?" 

"  Why  do  you  think  I  mean  anything  ?  "  he  said, 
staring  at  the  ceiling. 

"  Because  I  haven't  heard  it  since  that  dreadful 
Monday,  and  before  I  always  heard  it  when  some 
thing  nice  had  happened  between  me  and — and — 

"  Some  one  told  me  last  night  to  mind  my  own 
business." 


502  FROM  JEST  70  EARNEST. 

"  Now,  uncle,  you  know  something." 

"  I  should  hope  so,  at  my  years,  enough  not  to 
meddle."  And  he  still  stared  high  over  her  head. 

"  There,"  said  Lottie,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
"  everybody  in  the  house  is  against  me  now." 

The  old  man's  eyes  dropped  to  her  flushed,  dis 
appointed  face,  and  his  became  almost  noble  in  its 
expression  of  tender  sympathy.  In  a  grave,  gentle 
tone,  such  as  she  never  had  heard  him  use  before, 
he  said : 

"  Lottie,  come  to  my  private  study,  before  you 

go-" 

While  the  others  were  discussing  the  lunch,  she 

glided,  unseen,  to  the  little  study,  that  she  might 
receive  some  comfort  to  sustain  her  fainting  heart. 
Her  uncle's  first  words,  however,  seemed  prosaic, 
indeed,  and  very  different  from  what  she  expected. 

"  How  old  are  you,  Lottie?  " 

"  I  was  twenty-one  last  June,"  she  said,  a  little 
proudly. 

"So  you  are  a  June  blossom,  eh?  Well,  you 
look  like  it."  But  he  puzzled  her  by  his  long, 
searching  glance  into  her  face. 

11  Why  do  you  ask?"  she  said. 

"  I  want  to  be  sure  that  you  are  old  and 
mature  enough  to  decide  a  very  important  ques 
tion." 

"  Well,"  said  Lottie,  her  breath  coming  quick, 
"  I  intend  to  decide  all  questions  which  relate  to 
my  own  life  and  well-being." 

"  Be  careful,  young  woman.     You  had  better 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE.    503 

follow  the  advice  of  old  and  wise  heads  like  your 
aunt's  and  mother's." 

"  Uncle,  what  do  you  mean?"  said  she,  impa 
tiently. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  deliberately,  look 
ing  searchingly  into  her  face  all  the  time,  "  I  have 
sounded  that  thick-headed  nephew  of  mine — there, 
you  needn't  start  so ;  do  you  suppose  a  Dimmerly 
would  betray  a  woman's  secret  ? — and  what  do  you 
think  he  most  dreads  to  discover  as  true  ? — that  you 
love  him  a  little." 

"  It's  something  he  never  shall  discover,"  said 
Lottie,  almost  harshly,  springing  up  with  flashing 
eyes  and  scarlet  face.  "  I  will  not  go  on  this  ride, 
and  he  shall  have  no  trouble  in  escaping  my  so 
ciety." 

"  Hold  on,  now,"  expostulated  Mr.  Dimmerly, 
"  nitro-glycerine  doesn't  go  off  half  so  quick  as  you 
of  late.  I  haven't  told  you  why  he  is  afraid  you 
love  him." 

"  What  other  reason  can  he  have  save  that  he 
doesn't  love  me,  or  thinks  I  am  unfit  to  be  a  clergy 
man's  wife?" 

"  He  has  another  reason — one  that  will  devolve 
upon  you  the  necessity  of  deciding  some  very 
important  questions.  Are  you  old  and  mature 
enough  ?  " 

"  O,  uncle,"  exclaimed  Lottie,  impatiently  tap 
ping  the  floor  with  her  foot.  "  You  ought  to  be 
made  Grand  Inquisitor  General.  You  have  kept 
me  upon  the  rack  of  suspense — it  seems  an  hour." 


504  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  Hold  on,  little  fire-brand.  Questions  concern 
ing  a  life-time  should  not  be  decided  in  a  moment. 
You  had  better  take  a  few  years — certainly,  a  few 
months — to  think  over  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you. 
Frank  worships  the  ground  you  tread  on.  He  does 
not  give  you  the  little  remnant  of  a  heart  that  has 
been  left  after  dozens  of  flirtations  with  other  girls. 
You  have  the  whole  of  his  big,  unworldly  heart, 
and  from  what  I  know  of  him,  or  rather,  his  mother, 
you  always  will ;  but  he  is  that  unselfish — that  un 
like  the  rest  of  us — that  he  won't  ask  you  to  ex 
change  your  life  of  wealth  and  luxury  for  his  life 
of  toil,  poverty,  and  comparative  exile.  So,  while 
I  believe  he  will  idolize  your  memory  all  his  days, 
he  is  hoping  that  you  won't  suffer  any,  but  will 
soon  be  able  to  forget  him.  Of  course,  I  feigned 
profound  ignorance,  as  to  your  feelings,  and  left 
him  in  a  pitiable  state  of  distress.  But  he  finally 
concluded  that  even  if  you  did  love  him  a  little,  it 
would  be  very  unmanly  to  take  advantage  of  your 
feelings,  to  get  you  into  the  awful  scrape  of  a 
home-missionary's  life." 

As  Mr.  Dimmerly  proceeded  in  this  last  speech, 
joy  came  into  Lottie's  face,  like  the  dawn  of  a  June 
morning.  Tears  gathered  slowly  in  her  eyes,  but 
their  source  was  happiness,  not  sorrow.  By  the 
time  he  concluded,  she  had  buried  her  burning  face 
in  her  hands. 

"  Well,"  said  her  uncle,  after  a  moment,  "  what's 
to  be  done  I  hardly  know.  He  is  just  like  his 
mother.  If  he  thinks  it  isn't  right  to  speak,  tor- 


MR.  DIMMERLY  CONCLUDES  TO  MEDDLE.     505 

tures  could  not  wring  a  word  out  of  him.     I  don't 
see  but  you  will  have  to  propose  yourself — ' 

"  '  Propose,  myself  !  Never,"  she  said,  spring 
ing  to  her  feet. 

"  What  will  you  do,  then  ;  sit  and  look  at  each 
other,  and  fade  away  like  two  dying  swans?  " 

"  No,  indeed  ;  "  said  Lottie,  dancing  about  the 
room,  and  brushing  the  tears  from  her  face,  like 
spray.  "  He  shall  propose  to  me,  and  very  humbly, 
too.  I  have  the  key  to  the  problem,  now.  My 
hand  is  now  on  the  helm  of  this  big  ship  of  war, 
and  you  shall  see  how  I  will  manage.  He  shall  do 
just  what  I  want  him  to,  without  knowing  it.  He 
shall." 

"  But,  hold  on,"  said  Mr.  Dimmerly,  breath 
lessly.  "  You  look  like  a  rainbow  run  wild.  Listen 
to  reason.  Oh,  my  good  gracious,  the  idea  of  her 
being  a  home-missionary!  " 

"  That  is  just  what  I  am  going  to  be — a  home- 
missionary,  in  his  home ;  and  all  the  principalities 
and  powers  of  earth  shall  not  prevent  it.  And  now, 
you  dear,  precious,  old  meddler,  good-bye.  You 
shall,  one  day,  sit  in  the  snuggest  corner  of  as  cosey 
a  little  home  in  the  West,  as  was  ever  made  in  the 
East,"  and  she  vanished,  leaving  the  old  gentleman 
chuckling  to  himself: 

"  It    doesn't  look  as  if  it  would   be  '  stopped  ' 
after  all.      Perhaps  sister  will  find  out  that  I  know 
how  to  meddle  a  trifle  better  than  she  does." 
22 


506  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

A  NIGHT  IN  THE   SNOW. 

WHERE  have  you  been  ?  "  exclaimed  Addie, 
as  Lottie  came  down  dressed  warmly,  but 
plainly.  "  We  are  all  through  lunch,  and  ready  to 
start/' 

"  I  will  not  detain  you,  but  will  wrap  up  some 
lunch  and  take  it  with  me.  May  I  sit  with  you  ?  " 
she  said  to  Hemstead,  a  little  later,  as  she  came  out 
where  he  was  standing  on  the  piazza. 

"  You  will  be  very  much  exposed  to  the  cold 
on  the  driver's  seat,  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  hesi 
tatingly  ;  but  she  saw  well  enough  what  he  wished, 
though  conscience  was  condemning  him  all  the 
time. 

"  So  will  you,"  she  answered. 

"  Yes,  but  I  am  a  man." 

"  And  I  am  a  woman,"  she  said,  with  something 
of  her  old  piquant  style.  "  I  do  not  like  your 
implied  assertion  of  superiority,  sir.  I  have  as 
good  a  right  to  expose  myself  to  the  cold  as  a 
man." 

"  I  was  not  disputing  your  right,  Miss  Mars- 
den,  but — 

"  Oh,  I  understand.  You  are  of  those  who 
think  so  poorly  of  women,  as  to  regard  them 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW. 


SO/ 


merely  as  men's  pets — the  weaker  sex  you  would 
call  us,  who  prefer  to  wait  till  everything  is  made 
nice  and  comfortable,  and  then  languidly  step  for 
ward.  In  your  reading  of  history,  I  think  you  must 
have  skipped  several  chapters." 

"You  do  me  injustice,"  said  Hemstead,  warmly, 
and  falling  blindly  into  her  trap.  "  If  I  had 
skipped  all  the  chapters  which  treat  of  woman's 
heroism,  in  doing  and  suffering,  I  should,  indeed, 
know  little  of  history.  She  has  proved  herself  the 
equal,  and  at  times,  the  superior  of  man." 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Lottie,  in  a  hurt  and  injured 
tone,  "  I  shall  reach  the  unwelcome  truth  at  last ;  it 
is  not  woman  in  general  who  is  weak,  but  Lottie 
Marsden  in  particular.  I  am  very  sorry  that  you 
have  so  poor  an  opinion  of  me,  and  I  shall  try  to 
change  it  somewhat,  by  enduring,  on  this  drive,  all 
the  exposure  and  cold  that  you  can." 

As  the  sleigh  just  then  came  up,  she  settled 
the  question  by  springing  in  and  taking  her  place 
on  the  driver's  seat. 

Hemstead  was  perfectly  nonplussed,  and  Mr. 
Dimmerly,  who  had  stood  in  the  door  and  heard 
what  had  been  said,  retreated  rapidly,  as  he  broke 
out  into  the  most  irrepressible  chuckle  in  which 
he  had  yet  indulged. 

"  Now,  Miss  Lottie,"  whined  De  Forrest,  com 
ing  out  muffled  to  his  eyes,  "  are  you  going  to  sit 
there?" 

"  Certainly.  You  have  Addie  and  Bel  to  talk 
to.  Did  you  suppose  that  Mr.  Hemstead  was  to  be 


508  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

t-reated  like  a  coachman  because  he  kindly  con 
sented  to  drive  us  over?  " 

"  Let  me  drive,  then." 

"  No,  indeed,"  cried  Bel  and  Addie  in  chorus, 
"  We  won't  trust  to  your  driving."  So  De  Forrest, 
with  very  poor  grace,  took  his  seat  with  them,  and 
with,  his  back  to  those  that  he  would  gladly  have 
watched  most  suspiciously.  He  had  grown  desper 
ately  jealous  of  Hemstead,  and  yet  his  vanity  would 
not  permit  him  to  believe  it  possible  that  Lottie 
Marsden,  of  all  others,  could  be  won  to  such  a  life 
as  the  predestined  missionary  would  lead.  Like 
the  narrow  rationalists  of  this  world,  he  was  ever 
underrating  the  power  of  that  kind  of  truth  with 
which  Hemstead  was  identified.  To  all  of  his  ilk 
the  apparent  self-sacrifice  caused  by  love  to  God, 
and  its  kindred  flame,  love  (not  a  passion)  for  some 
human  object,  has  ever  appeared  both  stupid  and 
irrational.  He  did  not  understand  Lottie  and  could 
only  curse  the  wretched  visit,  and  wish  it  over  every 
moment.  When  she  returned,  he  believed,  to  old 
scenes  and  life  in  New  York,  she  would  soon  be 
her  old  self. 

Since  he  could  not  watch  them,  he  tried  to  use 
his  ears  as  far  as  possible,  but  the  noisy  bells 
drowned  their  voices,  so  that  he  could  catch  but 
few  words.  He  was  somewhat  comforted  in  the 
fact  that  at  first  they  did  not  appear  to  have  very 
much  to  say  to  each  other. 

Hemstead  tried  to  introduce  various  topics  re 
mote  from  the  thoughts  that  were  weighing  upon 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW. 


509 


both  their  hearts,  but  Lottie  did  not  sustain  his 
effort.  She  maintained  her  hurt  and  injured  air, 
until  at  last  he  could  no  longer  endure  her  grieved, 
sad  face,  and  said,  in  a  low  tone : 

"  And  could  you  imagine  that  I  regard  you,  of 
all  others,  as  weak  and  unwomanly?" 

"  What  else  could  I  think  from  your  words  ?  I 
admit  I  have  given  you  cause  to  think  very  poorly 
of  me  indeed.  Still  it's  anything  but  pleasant  to 
be  so  regarded,  by  those  whose  esteem  we  value." 

"  But  I  do  not  think  poorly  of  you,  at  all,"  said 
Hemstead,  half  desperately,  "  How  little  you  un 
derstand  me." 

"  I  understand  you  better  than  you  do  me.  You 
are  a  man.  You  have  high  aims,  and  have  chosen 
a  noble  calling.  But  you  have  the  same  as  said 
that  I  am  only  a  woman,  and  a  very  ordinary  one 
at  that,  not  capable  of  emulating  the  lives  of  my 
heroic  sisters.  I  must  be  shielded  from  the  rough 
wind,  while  you,  in  your  superiority,  can  face  it  as  a 
matter  of  course.  And  your  later  words  intimate 
that  so,  figuratively,  it  will  always  be,  in  my  case — 
weak,  womanly,  shrinking,  and  cowering,  ever 
shielded  by  something  or  somebody.  History,  to 
be  sure,  records  what  women  may  do,  but  that  is 
a  very  different  thing  from  what  Miss  Marsden 
will  do." 

"  You  go  to  extremes,  Miss  Marsden,  and  infer 
far  more  than  the  occasion  warrants,"  Hemstead 
replied,  in  great  perplexity.  "  Was  it  unnatural  that 
I  wished  you  to  be  shielded  from  the  cold?  " 


5IO  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  And  was  it  unnatural,"  she  answered,  "  that 
since  one  of  our  party  must  be  exposed  to  the  cold,  I 
should  be  willing  to  share  in  the  exposure  ?  But  it 
is  to  your  later  words  that  I  refer,  and  not  the 
trifling  incident  that  led  to  them.  They,  with  your 
manner,  revealed,  perhaps,  more  than  you  intended. 
You  once  said  I  was  *  capable  of  the  noblest  things.' 
I  knew  that  was  not  true  then,  and  to  may  lasting 
regret,  and  I  proved  the  fact  to  you.  But  I  think 
I  have  changed  somewhat  since  that  time.  At  least, 
I  hope  I  am  no  longer  capable  of  the  meanest 
things." 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  impetuously,  "  you 
now  give  me  credit  for  knowing  you  better  than  at 
that  time—" 

"  Yes,  and  you  have  evidently  revised  your 
opinion  very  materially.  But,  as  I  said  before,  I 
can  scarcely  complain,  when  I  remember  my  own 
action.  But  you  will  never  know  how  bitterly  I  have 
repented  of  my  folly.  When  that  terrible  charge  was 
made  against  me  last  Monday — it  came  when  I  was 
so  happy  and  hopeful,  like  a  sudden  thunderbolt — 
I  thought  I  would  lose  my  reason.  I  felt  that  you 
had  gone  away  believing  I  was  utterly  false,  and 
had  been  insincere  in  everything,  from  first  to  last. 
I  was  like  one  who  had  fallen  from  a  great  height, 
and  I  scarcely  spoke  or  moved  for  two  days.  I  was 
not  like  some  girls,  who  imagine  they  can  find  a 
remedy  for  their  troubles  in  wealth  and  luxury  and 
attention  from  others.  I  have  had  these  things  all 
my  life,  and  know  how  little  they  are  worth — how 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNO  W.  5  x  ! 

little  they  can  do  for  one  at  such  times.  No  one 
will  ever  know  what  I  suffered.  At  first,  when  you 
thought  so  well  of  me,  I  deserved  your  harshest  con 
demnation.  But  it  did  seem  cruel,  hard,  when  I 
was  honestly  trying  to  be  better — when,  at  last,  my 
life  had  become  real  and  true,  to  be  cast  aside  as  a 
false  thing,  that  must,  of  necessity,  be  despised. 
I  dreaded,  last  night,  that  you  were  going  away 
without  giving  me  any  chance  to  explain  and  cor 
rect  my  folly.  I  did  mean  that  Monday  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  and  would  have  done  so,  if  you  had  giv 
en  me  a  chance.  I  would  have  condemned  myself 
then,  and  I  do  now,  more  severely  than  even  you 
could,  who  had  such  just  cause  for  anger.  But,  Mr. 
Hemstead,  I  have  changed.  In  all  sincerity  I  say 
it,  I  wish  to  become  a  good,  Christian  girl,  and 
would  do  so,  if  I  only  knew  how.  I  was  not  deceiv 
ing  you  when  I  said  last  Christmas  Eve  that  I 
hoped  I  had  become  a  Christian.  I  still  think 
I  have,  though  for  two  days  I  was  in  thick  darkness. 
At  any  rate,  I  love  my  Saviour,  and  He  has  helped 
and  comforted  me  in  this  greatest  trial  and.  sorrow 
of  my  life.  I  was  led  to  hope  that  you  would  for 
give  me,  because  He  seemed  so  ready  to  forgive. 
There !  I  have  now  done  what  I  have  been  most 
anxious  to  do — I  have  told  you  the  truth.  I  have 
said  all  that  I  can,  justly,  in  self-defense.  If  I  have 
not  raised  your  opinion  of  me  very  greatly,  I  can 
not  help  it,  for,  henceforth  I  intend  to  be  honest, 
whatever  happens." 

Lottie  had  said  the  words  she  so  wished  to  speak 


512  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

in  a  low  tone,  but  with  almost  passionate  earnest 
ness,  and  no  one  could  have  doubted  their  truth  a 
moment.  The  horses  had  been  trotting  briskly 
over  the  level  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  steep 
mountain  slope*  and  the  noisy  bells  that  made 
musical  accompaniment  to  her  words,  as  heard  by 
Hemstead,  disguised  them  from  De  Forrest  and  the 
others.  The  student  received  each  one  as  if  it  were 
a  pearl  of  great  price. 

But  now  the  horses,  mounting  the  steep  ascent, 
had  come  down  to  a  walk,  and  the  chime  of  the 
bells  was  not  sufficient  to  drown  his  words.  If  he 
had  answered  as  his  feelings  dictated,  the  attention 
of  the  others  would  be  gained  in  a  very  embar 
rassing  way.  He  could  only  say  in  a  very  low 
tone,  "  I  believe  and  trust  you  fully." 

But  Lottie  heard  and  welcomed  the  assurance. 

The  light  of  the  sun,  that  had  been  too  brilliant 
upon  the  snow,  was  now  becoming  softened  by  an 
increasing  haze.  The  air  was  growing  milder,  and 
the  branches  of  bowed  evergreens  by  the  way-side 
suddenly  lifted  themselves  as  the  hold  of  the  fleecy 
burdens  was  loosened,  and  the  miniature  avalanches 
dropped  away.  At  times,  they  reached  points 
from  which  the  magnificent  and  broadening  land 
scape  could  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage,  and  as 
Hemstead  stopped  the  horses  at  such  places  to  rest, 
even  Bel  and  Addie  abounded  in  exclamations  of 
delight.  The  river  had  become  a  vast,  white  plain, 
and  stretched  far  away  to  the  north.  The  scene 
was  one  that  would  have  filled  Hemstead  with  de- 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNO  W.  513 

light  upon  any  other  occasion,  but  Lottie  was  now 
well  pleased  to  note  that  he  gave  to  it  hurried  glan 
ces  and  little  thought. 

His  face  was  a  study,  and,  more  clearly  than  he 
realized,  betrayed  the  perplexity  and  trouble  of  his 
mind.  How  could  he  give  up  the  lovely  girl  at  his 
side,  whose  very  imperfection  and  need  won  more 
upon  him  than  any  display  of  conscious  strength 
and  advanced  spirituality  ?  Her  frankness,  her  hu 
mility  and  severe  self-condemnation  appealed  to 
every  generous  trait  of  his  large,  charitable  nature. 
He  now  believed  as  never  before,  that  she  was  "  ca 
pable  of  the  noblest  things,"  and  he  began  to  suf 
fer  from  the  torturing  thought,  that  his  course  was 
a  mistaken  one,  and  that  he  wronged  her  by  acting 
upon  the  supposition  that  her  old  surroundings  of 
luxury  and  culture  were  essential,  to  her  happiness. 
Might  it  not  be  true  that,  in  a  nature  like  hers, 
something  far  more  profound  was  needed  to  create 
and  sustain  true  serenity  of  heart?  Had  she  not 
the  same  as  plainly  said,  that  she  had  fathomed  the 
shallow  depths  of  luxury,  wealth,  and  general  flat 
tering  attention  ?  Had  she  not  unconsciously  given 
him  a  severe  rebuke  ?  What  right  had  he  to  as 
sume  that  he  was  any  more  capable  of  heroic 
self-sacrifice  than  she  ?  Only  the  certainty  that  he 
was  sacrificing  himself  for  her  happiness  enabled 
him  to  make  the  sacrifice  at  all,  and  now  he  began 
to  think  that  his  course  might  be  a  wretched  blun 
der  which  would  blight  them  both.  The  very  pos 
sibility  of  making  such  a  mistake  was  agony.  To 
22* 


514  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

have  come  so  near  happiness,  and  then  to  miss  it 
by  as  great  a  wrong  to  her  as  to  himself,  would  be 
more  than  fortitude  itself  could  endure.  His  un 
cle's  words  were  ever  present :  "  If  Lottie  loved,  it 
would  be  no  half-way  business.  He  had  no  right 
to  sacrifice  her  happiness."  It  was  her  happiness 
that  he  was  thinking  of,  and  if  he  could  secure  it 
best  by,  at  the  same  time,  consummating  his  own,  it 
seemed  to  him  that  heaven  would  commence  at  once. 

A  trivial  circumstance  had  enabled  Lottie  to  in 
timate  plainly  to  him  that  he  had  the  same  as  as 
serted  "  I  am  a  man,  and  can  do  that  of  which  only 
the  noblest  and  most  unselfish  natures  are  capable. 
You  are  not  only  a  woman,  but  you  cannot  rise  to 
the  level  of  many  of  your  sisters,  who  have  left  on 
history's  page  the  heroic  record  of  how  they  tri 
umphed  over  the  supposed  weakness  of  their  sex." 
What  he  had  not  meant,  but  still  had  appeared  to 
hint  from  his  language,  was  he  not,  in  fact,  practi 
cally  acting  upon  as  true?  While  he  had  taken  his 
course  in  the  spirit  of  the  most  generous  self-sacri 
fice,  might  he  not,  at  the  same  time,  be  ignoring  the 
fact  that  she  was  as  capable  of  self-sacrifice,  and 
noble  consecration  to  a  sacred  cause,  as  himself. 

If  she  had  been  sincere  in  her  religious  experi 
ences,  and  all  her  words  and  actions  in  that  direc 
tion,  how  could  he  help  believing  that  she  was 
equally  sincere  in  the  language  of  tone  and  eye, 
which  had  revealed  her  heart  so  plainly  that  even 
he,  who  was  the  last  in  the  world  to  presume,  had 
come  to  think  that  she  loved  him.  And  yet  he 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW. 


515 


was  about  to  make  his  life  and,  perhaps,  hers  also, 
one  long  regret,  because  he  had  quietly  assumed 
that  she  was  one  of  those  women  whose  life  de 
pended  on  surroundings,  and  to  whose  soul  mere 
things  could  minister  more  than  the  love  of  her 
heart  and  the  consciousness  of  a  heroic  devotion  to 
a  sacred  cause.  Lottie  had  skillfully  and  clearly 
given  the  impression  she  sought  to  convey ;  and 
this  impression,  uniting  with  the  student's  love, 
formed  a  combination  whose  assaults  caused  what 
he  supposed  an  inflexible  purpose  to  waver. 

Lottie's  quick  intuition  enabled  her  to  see  that 
she  had  led  him  far  enough  at  present,  while  they 
were  in  such  close  proximity  to  jealous,  observant 
eyes,  and  attentive  ears,  and  so,  with  equal  tact,  led 
his  thoughts  to  more  tranquilizing  topics.  She  was 
employing  all  the  skill  and  finesse  of  which  she  had 
been  mistress  in  the  days  of  her  insincerity  and 
heartless  coquetry.  These  gifts  were  still  hers,  as 
much  as  ever.  But  now  they  were  under  the  con 
trol  of  conscience,  and  would  henceforth  be  used, 
as  now,  to  secure  and  promote  happiness,  not  to 
destroy  it. 

And  she  felt  that  she  had  need  of  tact  and  skill. 
The  situation  was  not  so  very  peculiar.  Many  had 
passed  through  just  such  experiences  before,  but 
have  all  passed  on  to  lives  of  consummated  happi 
ness?  She  loved  the  man  at  her  side  devotedly, 
and  was  perfectly  aware  of  his  love  for  her,  and  yet, 
woman's  silence  was  upon  her  lips.  They  were 
soon  to  separate,  not  to  meet  again  for  many  years, 


5  1 6  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

if  ever.  She  could  not  speak  ;  if  from  any  motive^ 
even  the  noblest,  he  did  not  speak,  how  could  she 
meet  the  long,  lonely  future,  in  which  every  day 
would  make  more  clear  the  dreary  truth  that  she 
had  missed  her  true  life  and  happiness — missed  it 
through  no  necessity  that  might  in  the  end  bring 
resignation,  but  through  a  mistake;  the  unselfish 
blundering  of  a  man  who  wrongly  supposed  she 
could  be  happier  without  than  with  him.  It  was 
her  delicate  task  to  show  him,  without  abating  one 
jot  of  woman's  jealous  reserve,  that  she  was  capa 
ble  of  all  the  self-sacrifice  to  which  he  looked  for 
ward,  and  that,  as  his  uncle  had  told  him,  he  had  no 
right  to  sacrifice  her  happiness. 

He  was  one  of  those  single-hearted,  resolute 
fellows,  who  have  the  greatest  faculty  for  persist 
ently  blundering  under  an  honest  but  wrong  im 
pression.  But,  in  this  case,  his  impression  was 
natural,  and  he  was  wrong,  only  because  Lottie  was 
"  capable  of  noble  things  " — only  because  she  did 
belong  to  that  class  of  women  to  whom  the  love  of 
their  heart  counts  for  infinitely  more  than  all  ex 
ternals.  If  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  a  very  good- 
ish  sort  of  a  girl  of  the  Bel  Parton  type,  the  course 
he  had  marked  out  would  have  been  the  wisest  and 
best,  eventually,  for  both,  even  though  it  involved, 
at  first,  considerable  suffering. 

When  a  wife  assures  her  husband,  by  word  or 
manner,  you  took  advantage  of  my  love  and  inex 
perience  to  commit  me  to  a  life  and  condition  that 
are  distasteful  or  revolting,  and  you  have  thereby 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW.  517 

inflicted  an  irreparable  injury,  the  man,  if  he  be  fine- 
fibred  and  sensitive,  can  only  look  forward  to  a 
painful  and  aggravated  form  of  martyrdom.  One 
had  better  live  alone  as  long  as  Methuselah,  than 
induce  a  small-souled  woman  to  enter  with  him  on 
a  life  involving  continual  self-sacrifice.  With  such 
women,  some  men  can  be  tolerably  happy,  if  they 
have  the  means  to  carry  out  the  "  gilded  cage " 
principle.  But  woe  to  them  both  if  the  gilded  cage 
is  broken  or  lost,  and  they  have  to  go  out  into  the 
great  world  and  build  their  nest  wherever  they  can. 

Providence  had  given  to  Lottie  the  chance  to 
live  the  life  of  ideal  womanhood — the  life  of  love 
and  devotion,  and  she  did  not  mean  to  lose  it. 
Like  the  Marys  of  the  Bible,  who  were  loyal  to  the 
lowly  Nazarene,  her  awakened  and  renewed  nature 
was  capable  of  consecration  to  what  the  world  re 
garded  as  a  humble  phase  of  Christian  service,  and 
while  her  high  spirit  would  often  chafe  with  a  little 
wholesome  friction,  it  would  yet  grow  sweeter  and 
more  patient  under  the  trials  of  the  hardest  lot,  if 
they  could  only  be  endured  at  his  side,  to  whom,  by 
some  mystic  necessity  of  her  being,  she  had  given 
her  heart. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  unmingled  satisfaction  she 
saw  that  she  was  sapping  the  student's  stern  reso 
lution  not  to  speak.  She  would*  by  a  witchery  as 
innocent  as  subtle,  beguile  him  into  just  the  opposite 
of  what  he  had  proposed.  As  she  had  declared  to 
her  uncle,  he  should  ask  her,  in  a  very  humble  man 
ner,  to  become  a  home-missionary,  and  she,  under 


5  1 8  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

the  circumstances,  was  more  ready  to  comply  than 
to  become  Empress  of  all  the  Russias. 

But,  during  the  remainder  of  the  ride,  she  made 
the  time  pass  all  too  quickly  as  she  led  him  to 
speak  of  his  student  life,  his  Western  home,  and 
especially  of  his  mother ;  and  Lottie  smiled  appre 
ciatively  over  the  enthusiasm  and  affection  which 
he  manifested  for  one,  concerning  whom  she  had 
ever  heard  Mrs.  Marchment  speak  a  little  slight 
ingly.  The  genuine  interest  which  she  took  in  all 
that  related  to  Mrs.  Hemstead  touched  the  young 
man  very  closely,  and  his  whole  nature  was  getting 
under  arms  against  what  his  heart  was  beginning  to 
characterize  as  a  most  unnatural  and  stupid  reso 
lution. 

De  Forrest  was  greatly  relieved  as  he  heard 
Hemstead  describing  his  humble,  farm-house  home 
and  toilsome  mother,  for  the  student  softened  none 
of  the  hard  outlines  of  their  comparative  poverty. 

"  The  great  fool !  "  thought  the  exquisite ;  "  even 
if  Lottie  were  inclined  to  care  for  him  somewhat, 
he  has  repelled  her  now  by  revealing  his  common 
and  poverty-stricken  surroundings." 

But  as  Lottie  became  satisfied  that  Hemstead 
would  not  be  able  to  go  away  in  silence,  a  new 
cause  of  trouble  and  perplexity  claimed  her  atten 
tion.  Not  that  she  had  not  thought  of  it  often 
before,  since  she  had  realized  how  irrevocably  she 
had  given  away  her  love,  but  other  and  more  im 
mediate  questions  had  occupied  her  mind.  How 
was  she  to  reconcile  her  fashionable  mother  and 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW. 


519 


worldly  father  to  her  choice  ?  She  clearly  recog 
nized  that  what  to  her  seemed  the  most  natural 
— indeed,  the  only  thing  in  life  left  for  her — would 
appear  to  one  simply  monstrous,  and  to  the  othe-r 
the  baldest  folly. 

She  loved  her  parents  sincerely,  for,  with  all  her 
faults,  she  had  never  been  cold-hearted  ;  and,  while 
she  proposed  to  be  resolute,  it  was  with  the  deep 
est  anxiety  and  regret  that  she  foresaw  the  inevi 
table  conflict  awaiting. 

But  when  she  could  think  of  nothing  that  could 
be  said  which  would  soften  the  blow,  or  make  her 
course  appear  right  or  reasonable,  as  they  would 
look  at  it,  a  circumstance  occurred  which  led,  as 
she  then  believed,  to  the  solution  of  the  problem. 

After  driving  between  two  and  three  hours,  they 
reached  West  Point  in  safety,  and,  as  they  were 
passing  along  by  the  officers'  quarters,  Lottie  recog 
nized  a  young  lady  who  was  one  of  her  most  inti 
mate  city  friends,  and  who,  she  soon  learned,  was 
making  a  visit  in  the  country,  like  herself.  Lottie 
told  Bel  and  Addie  to  go  on  to  the  dancing-hall, 
while  she  called  on  her  friend,  saying,  "  I  will  soon 
join  you." 

The  relations  between  Lottie  and  her  friend 
were  quite  confidential,  and  the  latter  soon  bubbled 
over  with  her  secret.  She  was  engaged  to  a  cadet, 
who  would  graduate  the  following  June. 

"  But  he  is  away  down  toward  the  end  of  his 
class,  and  so,  of  course,  will  have  to  go  out  upon 
the  Plains/'  she  said,  with  a  little  sigh. 


520  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  What  will  you  do  then  ?  "  asked  Lottie,  quick 
ly,  a  bright  thought  striking  her.  "  You  surely 
will  not  exchange  your  elegant  city  home  for  bar 
racks  in  some  remote  fort,  where  you  may  be  scalped 
any  night?" 

"  I  surely  will,"  said  the  vivacious  young  lady, 
"  and  if  you  ever  become  half  as  much  in  love  as  I 
am,  it  won't  seem  a  bit  strange." 

"  But  what  do  your  parents  say  to  all  this  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  of  course  they  would  much  prefer 
that  I  should  marry  and  settle  in  New  York.  But 
then,  you  know,  mother  always  had  a  great  ad 
miration  for  the  army,  and  it's  quite  the  thing,  in 
fashionable  life,  to  marry  into  the  army  and  navy — 
why,  bless  you,  Lottie,  nearly  all  the  ladies  on  the 
post  have  seen  the  roughest  times  imaginable  on  the 
frontier,  and  they  come  from  as  good  families,  and 
very  many  of  them  have  left  as  good  homes  as  mine." 

"  But  how  are  you  going  to  live  on  a  lieuten 
ant's  pay?  I  have  known  you  to  spend  more  than 
that  on  your  own  dress  in  a  single  year." 

"  What  are  dresses  compared  with  Lieutenant 
Ransom  ?  I  can^  learn  to  economize  as  well  as  the 
rest  of  them.  You  can't  have  everything,  Lottie. 
You  know  what  an  officer's  rank  is.  It  gives  him 
the  entre  with  the  best  society  of  the  land,  and 
often  opens  the  way  for  the  most  brilliant  career. 
These  things  reconcile  father  and  mother  to  it,  but 
I  look  at  the  man  himself.  He's  just  splendid  ! 
Come,  we'll  go  over  to  the  hall,  and  I  will  introduce 
you,  and  let  you  dance  with  him  once — only  once, 


•A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNO  W. 


521 


you  incorrigible  flirt,  or  you  will  steal  him  away 
from  me  after  all.  By  the  way,  who  was  that 
handsome  man  who  drove  ?  I  fear  you  bewitched 
him  coming  over  the  mountain,  from  the  way  his 
eyes  followed  you." 

"  How  does  he  compare  with  your  Lieutenant 
Ransom  ?  "  asked  Lottie. 

"  No  one  can  compare  with  him.  But  why  do 
you  ask?  Is  there  anything  serious?  " 

"  Will  you  think  so  when  I  tell  you  that  he 
enters,  next  summer,  on  the  life  of  a  home-mis 
sionary  on  the  western  frontier?" 

"  Oh,  how  dismal !  "  exclaimed  the  young  lady. 
"  No,  indeed  !  no  danger  of  your  giving  him  serious 
thoughts.  But  you  ought  not  to  flirt  with  such  a 
man,  Lottie." 

"  I  do  not  intend  to,  nor  with  any  one  else,  any 
more.  But  why  do  you  say  '  How  dismal ! '  ?  Your 
lieutenant  will  have  as  rough  a  frontier  life  as  Mr. 
Hemstead,  and,  surely,  the  calling  of  the  ministry 
is  second  to  none." 

"  Well,  it  seems  very  different.  Nobody  thinks 
much  of  a  home-missionary.  Why,  Lottie,  none 
of  our  set  ever  married  a  home-missionary,  while 
several  have  married  into  the  army  and  navy.  So, 
for  heaven's  sake,  don't  let  your  head  become 
turned  by  one  who  looks  forward  to  such  a  forlorn 
life.  But  here  we  are,  and  I  will  make  you  envious 
in  a  moment." 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  said  Hemstead,  stepping  for 
ward  as  they  were  entering,  "  I  do  not  like  to  has-. 


522  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

ten  you,  but  there  is  every  appearance  of  a  storm, 
and  the  wind  is  rising.  I  wish  you  could  induce 
Addie  to  leave  soon.  I  will  go  to  the  Trophy 
room  for  a  little  while,  and  then  will  drive  around." 

"  You  may  rest  assured  I  will  do  my  best,"  said 
Lottie.  "  I  am  ready  to  start  now." 

"  Beware  of  that  man,"  said  her  friend ;  "  his 
eyes  tell  the  same  story  that  I  see  in  Lieutenant 
Ransom's." 

"  You  have  become  a  little  lady  of  one  idea," 
said  Lottie,  laughing  and  blushing,  "  and  all  the 
world  is  in  love,  in  your  estimation." 

When  Hemstead  drove  to  the  door,  the  snow- 
flakes  were  beginning  to  fly,  and  the  wind  had  in 
creased  in  force.  But  Bel  was  not  ready,  and 
Addie  could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave  at  all,  nor 
would  she  hear  of  their  leaving  till  the  hours  set 
apart  for  dancing  were  over.  Even  then  she  per 
mitted  her  cadet  friends  to  detain  her  several  min 
utes  longer. 

As  the  others  were,  in  a  certain  sense,  her 
guests,  they  did  not  like  to  urge  her  departure  be 
yond  a  certain  point.  Thus  it  happened  that  the 
early  December  twilight  was  coming  on,  and  the 
air  full  of  wildly-flying  snow,  as  the  last  words  were 
said,  and  the  horses  dashed  off  for  the  mountains. 

But  the  storm  increased  in  violence  every  mo 
ment,  and  the  air  was  so  filled  with  flakes,  that  they 
could  not  see  twenty  feet.  What  caused  Hem- 
stead  uneasiness  was  the  fact  that  the  sheltered 
road  that  led  from  the  Point  along  the  southern 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW.  523 

base  of  the  mountains  for  a  long  distance  before 
coming  to  any  great  ascent,  was  already  somewhat 
clogged  with  drifts.  Above,  on  the  mountain's 
crest,  he  heard  a  sound  as  if  the  north  wind  was 
blowing  strongly. 

He  grew  very  anxious,  and  finally  said,  as  they 
reached  the  point  where  the  road  began  to  rise  rap 
idly,  that  he  thought  the  attempt  to  cross  that 
night  involved  considerable  risk.  But  Addie  would 
not  hear  of  their  returning.  Her  mother  would  go 
wild  about  them,  and  would  never  let  her  come 
again. 

"  It  has  not  snowed  very  much  yet,  and  if  we 
wait  till  to-morrow  it  may  be  very  deep." 

"  The  drifts  are  what  I  fear/'  said  Hemstead. 

"  There  were  no  bad  drifts  this  afternoon," 
said  Addie,  "  and  surely  they  cannot  be  deep 
yet." 

Since  the  following  day  was  Sunday,  and  New 
Year's  also,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  push  on, 
as  returning  would  involve  much  that  was  disagree 
able  to  the  party,  and  create  great  alarm  at  Mrs. 
Marchmont's. 

"  It  will  just  result  in  their  sending  after  us,  this 
dreadful  night,"  said  Addie.  "  I  don't  see  why  it 
must  storm  just  when  one  most  wishes  it  wouldn't." 

"  We  ought  to  have  started  sooner,"  said  Bel. 
"  I  knew  the  delay  was  very  wrong,  but  we  were 
having  such  a  good  time." 

De  Forrest  having  vainly  sought  to  get  Lottie  to 
sit  with  him,  had  sulkily  taken  his  seat  just  back  of 


524  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

them,  where  he  was  the  most  sheltered  of  the  party, 
and  not  supposing  there  was  any  real  danger,  had 
muffled  himself  up  so  that  he  was  almost  past 
speaking  or  hearing.  He  had  about  the  same 
as  sullenly  resolved  to  let  matters  take  their 
course  until  the  "  cursed  visit  was  over."  New 
York,  and  not  the  barbarous,  dreary  country, 
was  the  place  where  he  shone  ;  and  when  once  there 
again,  he  would  soon  regain  his  old  ascendency 
over  Lottie,  and  she,  of  course,  would  forget  this 
Western  monster.  He  had  noticed,  for  the  first 
mile,  that  Hemstead  and  Lottie  had  scarcely  spoken 
to  each  other,  and,  as  the  storm  increased,  con 
cluded  there  was  no  danger  of  any  one  making  love 
when,  if  they  opened  their  mouths  to  speak,  the 
wind  would  fill  them  with  snow. 

But  Hemstead  and  Lottie  scarcely  needed  lan 
guage.  The  old,  subtle  interchange  of  thought 
and  sympathy  had  been  regained  ;  every  moment 
she  bravely  sat  with  him  facing  the  storm  that  wild 
night  seemed  an  assurance  that  she  was  both 
able  and  willing  to  face  every  storm  of  life  at  his 
side. 

But  as  the  wind  grew  more  violent,  and  drove 
the  sharp  crystals  into  their  faces  with  stinging 
force,  he,  out  of  regard  for  her  comfort,  said  : 

"  Miss  Marsden,  it  is  both  brave  and  kind  of 
you  to  sit  here  so  patiently,  but  really  the  wind  is 
growing  too  severe.  Even  if  I  had  had  the  impres 
sion  which  you  were  so  mistaken  as  to  charge  me 
with,  long  before  this  it  would  have  been  banished 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW.  525 

forever  by  your  words  and  action.  If  you  will 
take  the  next  seat,  and  sit  with  your  back  to  the 
wind,  you  will  not  feel  it  half  so  much." 

"  Will  you  do  the  same  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  cannot." 

"  Then  neither  can  I.  I  shall  keep  my  word, 
Mr.  Hemstead." 

"  You  are  a  brave  girl,  Miss  Marsden." 

"  Well,  that  is  nothing.  Why  have  I  not  as 
good  a  right  to  be  a  brave  girl  as  you  to  be  a  brave 
man?" 

"  You  also  appear  to  have  the  ability." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  deserve  any  credit.  I'm  not  a  bit 
afraid.  Indeed,  I  rather  enjoy  it.  I've  plenty  of 
warm  blood,  and  can  make  as  good  a  fight  against 
the  north  wind  as  yourself.  This  isn't  half  as 
hard  as  facing  evil  and  unhappy  thoughts  before  a 
blazing  fire,  and  I  have  had  too  much  of  that  to  do 
of  late  to  complain  of  this." 

"  But  it  seems  a  miracle  to  me  that  one  with 
your  antecedents  can  regard  the  situation  in  any 
other  way  save  that  of  unqualified  disgust." 

"  Do  you  regard  the  situation  with  '  unqualified 
disgust '  ?  " 

"Well,  to  tell*the  truth,  were  it  not  for  my 
anxiety  about  getting  you  all  home  safely,  I  was 
never  in  a  situation  to  enjoy  myself  more." 

"  What  two  precious  fools  we  must  be,  in  the 
world's  estimation  !  We  both  have  admitted  that 
we  are  enjoying  ourselves  under  circumstances  in 
which  only  Mark  Tapley,  I  think,  could  be  '  jolly  ' ;  " 


526  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

and  the  gale  bore  away  her  old  mirthful  laugh  like 
a  shred  from  a  silver  flag. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  whined  Bel  and  Addie  ;  "  it's  per 
fectly  awful." 

And  awful,  indeed,  it  became,  a  few  minutes 
later ;  for,  having  passed  over  a  steep  but  sheltered 
section  of  the  road,  they  came  to  a  point  where  the 
northeast  wind  struck  them  strongly.  At  the  same 
moment,  the  storm  appeared  to  develop  into  ten 
fold  intensity,  and  to  equal  those  terrible  tempests 
on  the  prairies,  in  which  Hemstead  remembered, 
with  a  shudder,  that  strong  men  and  horses  had 
perished  within  a  few  yards  of  shelter.  They,  alas ! 
were  now  a  long  way  from  any  house,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  lonely  mountains.  It  had  also  become 
so  dark  that  he  had  to  leave  the  choice  of  the  road 
mainly  to  the  horses. 

At  first,  these  sagacious  animals  stopped,  and 
refused  to  go  any  farther.  Hemstead  waited  a  few 
moments,  in  hope  that  the  gust  or  gale  would  ex 
pend  itself,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  instinctively  put 
his  arm  around  Lottie,  to  keep  her  from  being 
blown  off  the  seat. 

"  Miss  Marsden,"  he  said,  close  to  her  ear,  "  par 
don  me,  but  I  fear  this  tempest  will  carry  you 
away.  The  horrible  thought  crossed  my  mind  that 
you  might  be  caught  in  a  sort  of  whirlwind  and 
spirited  off  in  this  thick  darkness  where  I  could  not 
find  you." 

"  Would  it  trouble  you  very  much  if  you  could 
not  find  me?  " 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNO  W. 


527 


"  Oh,  don't  speak  of  it.  I  would  give  years  of 
my  life  if  you  were  safe  at  home." 

"  Don't  be  so  reckless  with  your  years.  I  am 
very  well  content  to  be  where  I  am." 

"  But  there  is  danger." 

"There  is  no  more  danger  for  me  than  for  you." 

"  Are  you  not  afraid  ?  " 

"  I  am  just  about  as  much  afraid  as  you  are  ;  " 
and,  to  his  amazement,  he  found  her  laughing. 

"Well,"  he  exclaimed,  "  if  you  can  laugh  under 
these  circumstances,  you  exceed  any  woman  I  ever 
read  or  heard  of.  We  are  in  twice  as  much  danger 
as  when  I  went  out  in  the  boat  the  other  night." 

"  Are  you  now  satisfied  that  Lottie  Marsden,  in 
particular,  is  not  weak  and  cowardly,  as  compared 
with  her  braver  sisters?  " 

Before  he  could  answer,  De  Forrest  growled, 
"  Why  don't  you  go  on  ?  " 

Addie  and  Bel  were  cowering  in  the  bottom  of 
the  sleigh,  and  supposed  he  was  merely  giving  the 
horses  a  rest. 

Just  then  there  appeared  a  momentary  lull  in 
the  gale  ;  so  he  merely  said  :  "  Forgive  me  for  even 
seeming  to  hint  to  the  contrary,"  and  then  urged 
the  horses  forward. 

The  road  now  presented  its  side  to  the  wind,  and 
so  was  filled  with  drifts,  while  its  lower  side  was  a 
precipitous  bank  that  shelved  off  into  unknown 
depths.  The  horses  plunged  with  difficulty  through 
one  drift,  and  the  sleigh  tipped  dangerously.  Addie 
and  Bel  screamed,  and  De  Forrest  began,  in  trepi 
dation,  to  realize  their  situation. 


528  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

The  poor  beasts  were  soon  floundering  through 
another  drift.  Suddenly  there  came  a  sharp  crack, 
as  if  something  had  broken,  and  one  of  the  horses 
appeared  to  have  fallen.  Worse  still,,  the  lower 
runner  of  the  sleigh  seemed  sinking  in  the  snow  to 
that  degree  that  a  moment  later  they  would  be 
overturned  into  the  darkness  that  yawned  in  the 
direction  of  the  steep  mountain  slope. 

Hemstead  instantly  sprang  out  on  the  lower 
side,  with  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  accident. 
Lottie  as  quickly  sprang  out  on  the  upper  side,  and 
cried  :  "  You  push  and  I  will  hold  ;  "  and  so  it  hap 
pened  that  she  did  quite  as  much  as  he  in  saving 
the  party  from  disaster.  Indeed,  if  the  sleigh  had 
gone  over,  it  would  have  carried  him  who  was  on 
the  lower  side  down  with  it. 

The  horses,  in  their  wise  instinct,  keeping 
still,  Hemstead  first  came  around  to  where  Lottie 
stood. 

"  Why,  Miss  Marsden  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  you  are 
up  to  your  waist  in  the  snow." 

"  Well,  it  won't  drown  me.  This  is  a  great  deal 
better  than  rolling  down  the  mountain." 

"  I  could  kneel  at  your  feet,"  said  the  student, 
fervently. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha,"  laughed  Lottie.  "  You  couldn't 
find  them." 

"  This  is  no  laughing  matter,"  said  De  Forrest, 
at  last  aroused  to  their  danger,  and  standing  up  for 
the  first  time. 

"  Then   get   out   and  do  something,  like  Miss 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW.  529 

Marsden,"  said  Hemstead.  "  Come,  right  up  the 
sleigh  while  I  look  after  the  horses." 

A  little  later  he  came  back  to  Lottie,  and  said : 
"  Miss  Marsden,  I  scarcely  dare  tell  you  the  truth. 
The  tongue  of  the  sleigh  and  some  of  the  most  im 
portant  parts  of  the  harness  are  broken.  Besides,  I 
have  been  up  the  road  a  short  distance,  and  there 
are  drifts  that  are  up  to  the  horses'  necks.  I  fear  we 
can  go  no  further.  Oh,  God,"  he  added  in  agony, 
"  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  •  The  idea  of  you  perish 
ing  with  cold  in  this  horrible  place  to-night." 

Lottie  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  said 
earnestly : 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  please  let  there  be  no  more 
such  talk.  It's  no  worse  forme  than  for  you.  Be 
sides,  if  we  will  trust  God  and  use  our  wits,  there  is 
no  need  of  any  one  perishing.  If  we  were  out  of  the 
wind  it  would  not  be  so  very  cold.  Why,  there  is 
enough  warmth  in  the  big  bodies  of  those  horses 
to  keep  us  from  freezing,  if  it  comes  to  the  worst." 

"  There  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  you  have  given  me 
hope  and  courage,  and  in  a  sentence.  The  coachman 
was  captain  on  my  former  occasion  of  danger,  and 
you  shall  be  captain  now.  You  have  the  clearest 
and  best  head  of  the  party.  I  am  at  your  service.*' 

"  Will  you  do  as  I  bid  you  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

''Take  care  of  yourself  somewhat,  then." 

"  I  can  best  do  that  by  taking  care  of  you." 

"  You  can  do  nothing  pleasing  to  me,  that  will 
bring  harm  to  yourself,"  she  said.  "  We  must  get 
23 


FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

out  of  the  wind,  and  if  nothing  better  offers,  must 
bury  ourselves  in  the  snow  beside  the  horses.  I 
remember  reading  of  such  things.  The  sleigh  robes 
and  the  warmth  of  their  bodies  would  keep  us  from 
freezing  ;  I'm  not  so  very  cold." 

Addie  and  Bel  were  crying  bitterly,  and  De  For 
rest  groaning  and  cursing  the  whole  affair  from 
where  he  stood,  back  of  the  sleigh. 

"  Come,"  he  shouted,  "  what's  to  be  done?  " 

"  I  will  go  straight  up  the  bank.  I  may  find  a 
ledge,  or  some  rocks,  under  which  we  may  cower," 
said  Hemstead. 

"  Don't  go  far,"  said  Lottie,  eagerly.  "  I  should, 
indeed,  lose  hope,  if  you  became  separated  from 
us." 

He  soon  returned  with  the  joyful  news  that  a 
little  way  up  the  bank  was  a  high  ledge,  where  they 
would  be  completely  sheltered  from  the  wind. 

Soon  he  had  them  all  under  it,  and  the  respite 
from  the  driving  gale  was  welcomed  by  none  more 
than  Lottie,  who,  in  spite  of  her  courage  and  sus 
taining  excitement,  was  beginning  to  suffer  greatly. 

De  Forrest,  being  a  smoker,  had  matches ;  but 
in  his  impatience  to  light  a  fire,  destroyed  most  of 
them. 

"  Here,  Julian,  give  them  to  me,"  said  Lottie, 
raost  decisively. 

Then,  after  all  the  dry  material,  which  could  be 
collected  by  groping  round  in  the  dark,  was  gath 
ered  in  the  most  sheltered  nook,  she  took  from  her 
pocket  a  delicate  lace  handkerchief,  and,  by  means 


A  NIGHT  IN  THE  SNOW. 


531 


of  that,  lighted  the  sticks  and  leaves.  Soon  they 
were  warming  their  numb  hands  and  chilled  bodies 
beside  a  cheerful  hlaze. 

Hemstead  watched  Lottie  with  wondering  and 
"increasing  admiration.  In  securing  a  fire,  all  im 
mediate  danger  passed  away,  and  she  became  as 
cheery  as  if  the  disaster,  which  had  threatened  even 
a  fatal  termination,  were  only  an  episode,  and  the 
long,  wintry  bivouac,  in  that  desolate  place,  but 
a  picnic  in  the  woods. 

"  You  are  the  queerest  girl  I  ever  knew,  Lottie," 
said  Bel. 

"  She  means  by  that,  you  are  the  best,"  Hem- 
stead  added. 

"  Come,  this  is  no  time  for  compliments,  but 
work,"  said  Lottie,  energetically,  and  she  set  De 
Forrest  at  it  also. 

The  robes  were  brought  from  the  sleigh,  the 
snow  trampled  down  and  cleared  away  between  the 
fire  and  the  ledge,  and  here  they  were  spread. 
Addie  and  Bel  were,  at  first,  terror-stricken  at  the 
thought  of  spending  the  night  in  the  mountains, 
but  were  made  so  comfortable  that,  at  last,  they 
ceased  their  tears. 

"  Our  best  hope  is  this  brandy,"  said  De  For 
rest,  drawing  a  flask  from  his  pocket. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Lottie.  "  Our  best  hope  is 
keeping  our  senses  and  a  good  fire." 

But  Bel  and  Addie  were  ready  enough  to  take 
the  brandy,  and  were  soon  sleeping  heavily  from  its 
effects,  combined  with  their  exposure  to  the  cold 


532  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

wind.     Lottie  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  take 
any. 

"  I  want  the  use  of  my  sense?  to-night,  if  ever," 
she  said.  "  We  must  take  turns  in  keeping  awake, 
and  you  shall  have  the  first  watch,  Julian." 

Hemstead,  at  this  time,  was  down  getting  the 
horses  out  of  the  drift,  that  he  might  tie  them  near 
the  fire  and  also  under  the  ledge.  De  Forrest  set 
to  work  very  zealously  under  the  stimulus  of  Lot 
tie's  words  and  the  brandy  combined,  and  gathered 
the  brush-wood  that  lay  near,  and  piled  it  on  the 
fire.  Everything  seemed  to  promise  well,  and  the 
wearied  girl  laid  herself  down  by  the  side  of  Bel 
and  Addie,  and  was  soon  sleeping  as  naturally  and 
peacefully  as  if  in  her  luxurious  apartment  at 
home. 


IN  EARNEST.  533 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

IN   EARNEST. 

WHEN  Lottie  awoke  the  storm  had  passed 
away.  The  moon,  in  her  last  quarter,  was 
rising  in  pale,  unclouded  light  over  eastern  moun 
tains,  and  bringing  into  dusky  outline  many  inter 
vening  hills. 

At  first,  bewildered,  and  not  knowing  where 
she  was,  she  rose  up  hastily,  but  after  a  moment 
the  events  of  the  preceding  evening  came  to  her, 
and  she  remembered,  with  gratitude,  how  they  had 
found  partial  shelter  from  the  storm. 

With  something  of  a  child's  wonder  and  pleas 
ure,  she  looked  around  upon  a  scene  more  wild  and 
strange  than  any  she  had  ever  seen,  even  in  pictures 
of  gypsy  encampments.  Bel  and  Addie  were  sleep 
ing  by  her  side  as  soundly  as  if  such  a  nightly 
bivouac  were  an  ordinary  experience.  In  like  heavy 
stupor  De  Forrest  lay  near  the  fire,  though  the 
music  of  his  dreams  was  by  no  means  sweet.  He 
had  made  his  watch  a  very  brief  one,  and  having 
piled  the  fire  high  with  light  brush-wood  that  would 
soon  be  consumed,  and  leaving  no  supply  on  hand, 
he  had  succumbed  to  the  combined  influence  of 
the  cold  and  the  brandy ;  and  now,  with  the  flames 
lighting  up  his  face,  he  looked  like  a  handsome 
bandit. 


534  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

The  patient  horses  stood  motionless  and  shadowy, 
a  little  off  one  side.  Above  her  head  rose  high, 
rocky  crags,  from  whose  crevices  clung  bushes  and 
stunted  trees  with  their  crest  of  snow.  And  snow, 
bright  and  gleaming  near  the  fire,  but  growing 
pale  and  ghostly,  dull  and  leaden  in  the  distance 
stretched  away  before  her,  as  far  as  she  could  see, 
while  from  this  white  surface  rose  shrubs,  evergreens, 
and  the  gaunt  outline  of  trees,  in  the  hap-hazard 
grouping  of  the  '  wilderness.  Where,  before,  the 
storm  had  rushed,  with  moan  and  shriek,  now 
brooded  a  quiet  which  only  the  crackling  of  the 
flames  and  De  Forrest's  resonant  nasal  organ  dis 
turbed. 

But  Hemstead  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  She 
was  becoming  very  solicitous,  fearing  that  he  had 
straggled  off  alone,  in  order  to  bring  them  relief, 
when  a  sound  caught  her  attention,  and  she  saw 
him  coming  with  a  load  of  cord-wood  upon  his 
shoulder. 

She  reclined  again,  that  she  might  watch  him  a 
few  moments  unperceived.  He  threw  his  burden 
down  ;  put  a  stick  or  two  more  of  the  heavy  wood 
on  the  fire.  Then  Lottie  noticed  that  the  genial 
heat  no  longer  came  from  the  quickly-consumed 
brush,  but  from  solid  wood,  of  which  there  was  a 
goodly  store  on  hand. 

The  student  stood  a  few  moments  looking  at  the 
fire;  then  his  eyes  drooped,  and  he  swayed  back  and 
forth  as  if  nearly  overpowered  by  sleep  and  weari 
ness.  Then  he  would  straighten  himself  up  in  a 


IN  EARNEST. 


535 


way  that  made  Lottie  feel  like  laughing  and  cry 
ing  at  the  same  time,  so  great  was  his  effort  to 
patiently  maintain  his  watch.  At  last  he  tried  the 
expedient  of  going  to  the  horses  and  petting  them, 
but,  before  he  knew  it,  he  was  leaning  on  the  neck 
of  one  of  them  half  asleep.  Then  Lottie  saw  him 
come  directly  toward  her,  and  half  closed  her  eyes. 
The  student  looked  long  and  fixedly  at  her  face,  as 
the  firelight  shone  upon  it ;  then  drew  himself  up 
straight  as  a  soldier,  and  marched  back  and  forth 
like  a  sentinel  on  duty.  But  after  a  little  while  his 
steps  grew  irregular,  and  he  was  evidently  almost 
asleep,  even  while  he  walked.  Then  she  saw  him 
turn  off  abruptly  and  disappear  in  the  shadowy 
forest. 

She  sprang  up,  and,  secreting  herself  behind  an 
adjacent  evergreen,  waited  for  his  return.  Soon 
she  saw  him  staggering  back  under  another  great 
load  of  cord-wood. 

He  at  once  noticed  her  absence,  and  was  wide 
awake  instantly.  He  seized  a  heavy  stick  for  a  club, 
as  if  he  would  pursue  an  enemy  who  might  have 
carried  her  off,  when  her  low  laugh  brought  him  to 
her  side. 

"  Don't  you  hit  me  with  that,"  she  said,  advanc 
ing  to  the  fire. 

"  I  thank  you  very  cordially  for  waking  me 
up  so  thoroughly,"  he  said,  delighted  at  finding  her 
so  bright  and  well,  and  in  such  good  spirits,  after 
all  her  exposure.  "  I  admit,  to  my  shame,  that  I 
was  almost  asleep,  two  or  three  times." 


536  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

"  Here  is  another  assertion  of  your  masculine 
superiority,"  she  replied,  in  mock  severity.  "  I  may 
sleep,  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but  you,  as  a  man,  are 
to  rise  superior,  even  to  nature  herself,  and  remain 
awake  as  long  as  your  imperious  will  dictates." 

"  I  am  much  afraid,"  he  said,  ruefully,  "  if  you 
had  not  spoken  to  me,  my  imperious  will  would 
soon  have  tumbled  helplessly  off  its  throne,  and 
you  have  found  your  watchman  and  protector  little 
better  than  one  of  these  logs  here." 

"  Who  has  decreed  that  you  must  watch  all 
night,  while  the  rest  of  us  sleep  ?  Come,  it's  my 
turn  now,  and  I  will  watch  and  protect  you  for 
a  little  while." 

"  Do  you  mean  for  me  to  sleep  while  you  sit 
here  alone  and  watch  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  I'll  put  my  hand  in  the  fire  first,  if  in  no  other 
way  I  can  keep  awake." 

"  Didn't  you  call  me  '  captain  '  ?  You  will  have 
to  obey  your  orders." 

"  I'll  mutiny  in  this  case,  rest  assured.  Besides, 
I'm  not  sleepy  any  more." 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  sleep  while  you  were 
awake  and  willing  to  talk  to  me  ?  " 

"  I  slept  a  long  time  while  you  were  awake." 
She  pulled  out  her  watch,  and  exclaimed  :  "  Mr. 
Hemstead!  in  ten  minutes  more  we  enter  on  a  new 
year." 

"  How  much  may  happen  within  a  year,  and 


IN  EARNEST. 


537 


even  a  few  days  of  a  year,"  he  said,  musingly.  "  It 
seems  an  age  since  I  tossed  my  books  aside,  and 
yet,  it  was  within  this  month.  The  whole  world 
has  changed  to  me  since  that  day." 

"  I  hope  for  the  better,"  said- Lottie,  gently. 

"  Yes,  for  the  better,  whatever  may  be  the  fu 
ture.  That  Sabbath  afternoon,  when  you  the  same 
as  led  to  the  One  whom  I  was  misrepresenting  and 
wronging,  cannot  fail  to  make  me,  and  that  little 
bit  of  the  world  which  I  can  reach,  the  better.  I 
feel  that  I  shall  owe  to  you  my  best  Christian  ex 
perience  and  usefulness." 

"  And  I  feel  that  I  should  never  have  been  a 
Christian  at  all  if  I  had  not  met  you,"  she  said, 
looking  gratefully  up.  "  Whatever  may  be  the  fu 
ture,  as  you  say,  I  trust  God  will  never  permit  me 
to  be  again  the  false,  selfish  creature  that  I  was 
when  I  first  took  your  hand  in  seeming  kindness." 

"  I  trust  that  God  has  been  leading  us  both," 
said  Hemstead,  gravely  and  thoughtfully. 

Lottie  again  took  out  her  watch,  and  said,  in 
the  low  tone  which  we  use  in  the  presence  of  the 
dying  : 

"  Mr.  Hemstead,  the  old  year  is  passing  ;  there 
is  but  a  moment  left." 

He  uncovered  his  head,  and,  bowing  reverently, 
said  : 

"  May  God  forgive  us  all  the  folly  and  evil  of 
the  past  year,  for  the  sake  of  His  dear  Son." 

Lottie's  head  bowed  as  low  and  reverently  as 
his  own,  and  for  several  moments  neither  spoke. 
23* 


538  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

Then  he  turned,  and  took  her  hand  as  he  said  : 

"  Many  have  wished  you  a  '  happy  new  year ' 
before,  but  I  can  scarcely  think  that  any  one  ever 
meant  the  words  as  I  do.  Miss  Lottie,  I  would  do 
anything,  suffer  anything,  and  give  up  anything, 
save  honor  and  duty,  to  make  you  happy.  You 
have  often  laughed  at  me  because  I  carried  my 
thoughts  and  feelings  in  my  face.  Therefore,  you 
know  well  that  I  love  you  with  all  the  truth  and 
strength  of  which  I  am  capable.  But  I  have 
had  a  great  dread  lest  my  love  might  eventually 
make  you  unhappy.  You  know  what  my  life  will 
be,  and  duty  will  never  permit  me  to  change." 

Her  answer  was  very  different  from  what  he  ex 
pected.  Almost  reproachfully  she  asked  :  "  Mr. 
Hemstead,  is  earthly  happiness  the  end  and  aim  of 
your  life?  " 

"  No,"  he  said,  after  a  moment. 

"What  then?" 

"  Usefulness,  I  trust — the  doing  faithfully  the 
work  that  God  gives  me." 

"  And  must  I  of  necessity  differ  from  you  in 
this  respect  ?  " 

"  Miss  Lottie,  forgive  me.  I  am  not  worthy  of 
you.  But  can  it  be  possible  that  you  are  willing 
to  share  in  my  humble,  toilsome  life  ?  I  fear  you 
have  no  idea  of  the  hardships  and  privations  in 
volved." 

"  I  stood  by  you  faithfully  last  night  in  the 
storm,  did  I  not?"  she  said,  with  a  shy,  half-mis 
chievous  glance. 


IN  EARNEST. 


539 


"  It  seems  too  good  to  be  true,"  he  said,  in  a 
low  tone. 

"  Was  there  ever  such  a  diffident,  modest  crea 
ture  !  "  she  said,  brusquely.  "  Mr.  Hemstead,  you 
will  never  enter  Heaven.  The  angels  will  have  to 
pull  you  in." 

"  One  angel  has  made  a  heaven  of  this  dreary 
place  already,"  he  answered,  seeking  to  draw  her  to 
him. 

"Wait  a  moment ;  what  do  you  mean,  sir?  I 
have  made  you  no  promises  and  given  you  no  rights." 

"  But  I  have  made  you  no  end  of  promises,  and 
given  you  absolute  right  over  me.  My  every  glance 
has  said,  '  Lottie  Marsden,  I  am  yours,  body  and 
soul,  so  far  as  a  man  with  a  conscience  can  be.'  " 

"  All  this  counts  for  nothing,"  said  Lottie,  with 
a  little  impatient  stamp  of  her  foot.  "  I  promised 
that  dear  old  meddler,  Uncle  Dimmerly,  that  you, 
in  deep  humility  and  penitence  for  having  arrogantly 
assumed  that  you  could  be  a  missionary  and  I 
couldn't,  should  ask  me  to  be  a  home-missionary; 
and  you  have  wasted  lots  of  precious  time." 

He  caught  her  quaint  humor,  and,  taking  her 
hand  and  dropping  on  one  knee,  said  : 

"  Lottie  Marsden,  child  of  luxury,  the  prize 
which  the  proudest  covet,  will  you  leave  your  ele 
gant  home — will  you  turn  your  back  upon  the  world 
which  is  at  your  feet,  and  go  with  me,  away  to  the 
far  West,  that  you  may  become  a  poor,  forlorn  home- 
missionary?" 

"  Yes,  Frank,  in  your  home — but  never  forlorn 


540  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

while  I  have  you  to  laugh  at,  and  never  poor  while 
I  possess  your  big,  unworldly  heart." 

"  Have  I  any  rights  now?  "  he  exclaimed  ;  and, 
springing  up,  he  exercised  them  to  a  degree  that 
almost  took  away  her  breath. 

"  Here,  behave  yourself,"  she  said.  "  The  idea 
of  one  who  had  plumed  himself  on  his  heroic  self- 
sacrifice  acting  so  like  an  ordinary  mortal !  You 
have  had  more  kisses  now  than  you  ought  in  a 
week.  If  we  are  to  be  so  poor,  we  ought  to  com 
mence  practicing  economy  at  once." 

"  You  are  the  most  beautiful  and  spicy  com 
pound  that  nature  ever  fashioned,"  he  exultingly 
replied,  holding  her  off,  devouring  her  with  his 
eyes.  "  I  plainly  foresee  that  you  can  fill  the 
poorest  little  home  with  light  and  music." 

"  Yes,  I  warn  you,  before  it's  too  late,  that  I 
never  can  become  a  solemn,  ghostly  sort  of  a  mis 
sionary." 

"  Oh,  it's  too  late  now,  I  assure  you,"  he  said  ; 
"  my  mind  is  made  up." 

"  So  is  mine — that  you  shall  take  a  long  nap, 
while  I  mount  guard." 

"  Nap,  indeed  !  "  he  said,  indignantly.  "  When 
the  gates  of  pearl  bang  after  one  with  their  musical 
clangor,  and  shut  out  forever  the  misery  of  earth, 
will  one's  first  impulse  on  the  threshold  of  heaven 
be  to  take  a  nap?" 

"  What  extravagant  language  !  You  ministers 
talk  much  too  familiarly  of  heaven,  and  such  things." 

"  No,  indeed,   Lottie,  dear!    the  more  familiar 


IN  EARNEST.  54! 

the  thought  of  heaven  is  to  us,  the  better.  You 
shall  have  a  good  home  there,  if  a  very  humble  one 
here.  But  do  you  realize  how  much  you  are  giving 
up?" 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  ruefully,  "  the  worst  heartache 
I  ever  had.  I  don't  believe  you  felt  half  so  badly 
as  I  did." 

"  But  when  the  hard  and  prosaic  life  comes,  with 
its  daily  cares  and  weary  burdens,  are  you  sure  that 
you  will  not  regret  your  action — are  you  sure  that 
you  will  not  wish  yourself  again  the  queenly  belle, 
with  the  world  at  your  feet  ?  " 

"Who  with  right  claims  the  higher  rank,"  Lot 
tie  answered,  her  lovely  face  growing  noble  with 
her  thought,  "  a  queenly  belle  with  a  false,  selfish 
heart,  or  a  Christian  woman  ?  And  what  is  that 
world,  which  you  say  is  at  my  feet  ?  Where  is  it 
to-night  ?  Where  was  it  when  the  tempest  made 
it  doubtful  whether  we  should  ever  see  this  new 
year  ?  Here  I  am  in  the  solemn  midnight,  and 
upon  this  desolate  mountain.  It  is  not  the  softness 
of  a  summer  night  to  which  we  are  exposed ;  it  is 
mid-winter.  And  yet  I  am  certain  that  there  is 
not  a  queen  on  the  earth  as  happy  as  I  am.  But 
what  part  has  that  world,  to  which  you  refer,  had 
in  making  me  happy?  I  knew  there  was  danger 
last  night.  I  had  read  of  people  perishing  in  the 
snow  almost  at  their  own  doors.  I  think  I  realized 
that  death  might  be  near,  but  my  heart  was  so 
light  and  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  your  love 
and  God's  love,  that  I  could  look  at  the  grim  old 


542  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

fellow,  and  laugh  in  his  face.  But  suppose  that  I 
had  had  nothing  better  then  to  think  of  than  this 
vague  world,  about  which  you  are  making  so  much 
ado  ?  Once  before,  when  the  world  was  at  my 
feet,  as  you  term  it,  I  faced  a  sudden  danger  in 
your  company.  Thanks  to  God's  mercy  and  your 
skill  and  strength,  we  were  not  dashed  down  into 
that  ravine  when  the  horses  ran  away.  What  did 
the  world  do  for  me  then  ?  Did  it  throw  a  ray  of 
light  into  that  black  gulf  of  death,  which  yawned 
at  every  side?  Oh,  thank  God!"  she  said  with 
passionate  earnestness,  "  that  I  was  not  sent  out  of 
life  that  night,  a  shivering  ghost — a  homeless  wan 
derer  forever.  But  what  could  the  world  do  to  pre 
vent  it?  I  know  all  about  that  glittering  world, 
Frank,  to  gain  which  so  many  are  staking  their  all, 
and  I  know  it's  more  of  a  phantom  than  a  reality. 
It  flattered  me,  excited  and  intoxicated  me,  but  it 
never  made  me  one-hundredth  part  as  happy  as  I 
am  to-night.  And  when  I  thought  I  had  lost  your 
respect  and  your  love,  I  no  more  thought  of  turn 
ing  to  the  world  for  solace  and  happiness,  than  I 
would  look  in  a  coal-bin  for  diamonds.  I  knew  all 
about  the  world,  and  in  the  depths  of  my  soul  real 
ized  that  it  was  a  sham.  How  far  away  it  is  to 
night,  with  these  solemn  mountains  rising  all  around 
us  ;  and  yet  how  near  seem  God  and  heaven,  and 
how  sweet  and  satisfying  the  hopes  they  impart  ! 
I  have  thought  it  all  out,  Frank.  The  time. is  com 
ing  when  illness  or  age,  mortal  pain  and  weakness 
will  shut  me  away,  like  these  dark,  wintry  hills,  even 


IN  EARNEST.  543 

from  your  love — much  more  from  the  uncaring, 
heartless  world  ;  but  something  in  my  heart  tells  me 
that  my  Saviour,  who  wept  for  sympathy,  when  no 
one  else  would  weep,  will  be  my  strong,  faithful 
friend  through  it  all,  and  not  for  all  the  worlds 
glittering  there  in  yonder  sky,  much  less  for  my 
poor,  little  gilt  and  tinsel  world  in  New  York,  will  I 
give  up  this  assurance." 

"  I  am  satisfied,"  said  Hemstead,  in  a  tone  of 
deep  content ;  "  God  wills  it." 

They  sat  for  a  long  time  without  speaking,  in 
the  unison  of  feeling  that  needed  no  words. 

At  last,  in  sudden  transition  to  one  of  her  mirth 
ful,  piquant  expressions,  Lottie  turned  to  her  com 
panion  and  said  : 

"  Frank,  you  are  on  the  mountain  top  of  exalted 
thought  and  sentiment.  Your  face  is  as  rapt  as  if 
you  saw  a  vision." 

"  Can  you  wonder?  " 

"  Well,  I'm  going  to  give  you  an  awful  tumble 
— worse  than  the  one  you  feared  last  night  when 
the  sleigh  tipped.  I'm  hungry  as  any  wolf  that 
ever  howled  in  these  mountains." 

"  What  a  comparison  !  "  said  the  student,  laugh 
ing  heartily.    Then,  his  face  becoming  all  solicitude, 
he  queried,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  and  he  was  about 
to  rise  with  the  impression  that  he  ought   to  do 
something. 

"  Do  as  I  bid  you,  of  course  ;  sit  still  while  I  tell 
you  what  I  shall  do.  I  shall  patiently  endure  this 
aching  void,  as  I  trust  I  shall  the  other  inevitable 


544  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

ills  of  our  lot.  What  could  be  more  appropriate 
than  this  prelude  of  hunger  in  one  proposing  to 
marry  a  home-missionary?  " 

With  an  odd  blending  of  delight  and  sympathy 
in  his  face,  Hemstead  exclaimed  : 

"  Lottie !  you  have  received  more  compliments 
than  you  could  count  in  a  year,  but  I  am  going  to 
give  you  one  different  from  any  that  you  ever  had 
before.  You  are  what  I  should  call  a  wholesome 
woman." 

Thus,  in  playful  and  serious  talk,  they  passed 
the  hours  until  the  snow-clad  mountains  were 
sparkling  in  the  rising  sun.  Hemstead  placed  upon 
Lottie's  hand  a  plain  seal-ring  that  had  been  his 
father's,  but  she  covered  it  with  her  glove,  not  wish 
ing  the  fact  of  her  engagement  to  transpire  until 
they  reached  home. 

At  last  the  others  awoke,  and  what  they  had 
passed  through  seemed  like  a  grotesque,  horrible 
dream.  De  Forrest  looked  suspiciously  at  Hem- 
stead  and  Lottie,  but  could  gather  nothing  from 
their  quiet  bearing  toward  each  other. 

Early  in  the  day  relief  reached  them,  and,  by 
the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  they  were  doing  ample 
justice  to  Mrs.  Marchmont's  sumptuous  break 
fast. 

Then  the  tell-tale  ring  on  Lottie's  finger  re 
vealed  the  secret,  and  there  was  consternation. 
But  poor  De  Forrest  was  so  outrageously  hungry 
that  he  had  to  eat  even  in  this  most  trying  emer 
gency.  And  yet  he  had  a  painful  sense  that  it  was 


IN  EARNEST. 


545 


not  the  proper  thing  to  do  under  the  circumstances, 
and  so  was  exceedingly  awkward,  for  once  in  his 
life. 

Mr.  Dimmerly  chuckled  all  that  Sunday  with 
"  unbecoming  levity,"  his  sister  said. 

Poor  Mrs.  Marchmont  lost  all  confidence  in  her 
self  as  a  good  manager,  and  was  in  a  divided  state 
of  indignation    at   her   nephew    and    Lottie,    and 
dread  of  Mrs.  Marsden's  reproaches. 

Bel  tried  to  think  that  it  was  not  "her  fault,  and 
Addie  did  not  much  care. 

The  holiday  visit  came  to  an  end.  The  months 
sped  away.  Lottie's  purpose  was  severely  tested. 
Every  possible  motive,  reason,  and  argument*,  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  brave  girl.  Worse  than 
all,  she  had  to  endure  the  cold,  averted  looks  of 
those  she  fondly  loved.  She  pleaded  her  own 
cause  eloquently.  She  frequently  quoted  her 
friend's  example,  who  was  about  to  marry  the 
army  officer. 

"  But  that  was  very  different,"  they  said. 

Only  once  she  lost  her  temper.  There  was  a 
sort  of  family  conclave  of  aunts  and  relatives,  and 
they  had  beset  her  sorely.  At  last  she  turned 
upon  them  suddenly,  and  asked  : 

"  Are  you  Christians  ?  Do  you  believe  there  is 
a  God?" 

"  Why,  certainly.  Do  you  think  we  are  hea 
then  ?" 

"  Why  talk,  then,  like  heathen,  and  act  like  infi- 


546  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

dels  ?  If  it's  the  thing  in  the  fashionable  world  to 
marry  a  trusted  servant  of  a  human  government, 
how  much  better  must  it  be  to  marry  a  servant  of 
the  King  of  All !  I  honor  my  friend  because  she 
marries  the  man  she  loves,  and  I  shall  marry  the 
one  I  love.  I  am  of  age — I  have  chosen  my  lot. 
Mark  my  words !  you  will  yet  be  proud  of  the  one 
whom  you  now  so  despise  ;  while  the  one  you  wish 
me  to  marry  will  cover  his  own  and  the  names  of 
all  connected  \vith  him  with  shame."  And  she  left 
them  to  recover  from  this  bombshell  of  truth,  as 
best  they  might. 

But  the  patient  gentleness  which  she  usually 
manifested  at  length  won  even  their  obdurate  hearts. 
Her  father  was  the  first  to  relent,  and  was  finally 
brought,  by  Lottie's  irresistible  witchery,  quite  over 
on  her  side.  But,  in  her  mother's  case,  it  was  only 
partial  resignation  to  a  great  but  inevitable  mis 
fortune.  Mrs.  Marsden  was  a  sincere  idolator  of  the 
world  for  which  she  lived. 

In  Aunt  Jane,  Lottie  had  a  staunch  ally,  and  a 
sympathizing  and  comforting  helper. 

But  the  postman,  who  brought,  with  increasing 
frequency,  letters  that  were  big  and  heavy,  like  the 
writer,  was  the  man  whom  Lottie  most  doted  on  in 
all  the  city. 

With  the  whole  energy  of  her  forceful,  practical 
nature,  she  trained  herself  for  her  work,  as  Hemstead 
was  training  himself  for  his.  And,  when,  a  year  later, 
she  gave  him  her  hand  at  the  sacred  altar,  it  was  not 
a  helpless  hand. 


IN  EARNEST. 

Years  have  passed.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hemstead 
are  the  chief  social,  refining,  and  Christianizing  in 
fluences  of  a  growing  Western  town.  They  have 
the  confidence  and  sympathy  of  the  entire  commu 
nity,  and  are  people  of  such  force  that  they  make 
themselves  felt  in  every  department  of  life.  They 
are  shaping  and  ennobling  many  characters,  and  few 
days  pass  in  which  Lottie  does  not  lay  up  in  memo 
ry  some  good  deed,  though  she  never  stops  to  count 
her  hoard.  But,  in  gladness,  she  will  learn  in  God's 
good  time  that  such  deeds  are  the  riches  that  have 
no  wings. 

She  made  good  her  warning,  and  never  became 
a  "  solemn,  ghostly  sort  of  a  missionary."  She  was 
usually  as  "wholesome  "  as  the  sunshine,  or  if  the 
occasion  required,  as  a  stiff  north  wind,  and  had 
a  pronounced  little  way  of  her  own,  when  things 
went  wrong  at  home  or  in  the  church,  of  giving  all 
concerned  the  benefit  of  some  practical  common 
sense.  But  she,  also,  in  the  main,  kept  her  pledge 
to  endure  patiently,  as  she  did  her  hunger  on 
the  mountain,  the  many  privations  and  trials  of 
their  lot. 

While  she  sustained  her  husband's  hands  and 
doubled  his  usefulness  abroad,  he  generally  found  at 
home  a  sunny  philosopher  who  laughed  him  out  of 
half  his  troubles. 

With  increasing  frequency  he  said,  "  Lottie,  you 
are  so  wholesome  ;  there  is  not  a  morbid,  unnatural 
trait  in  you." 

And  she  inspired  him  to   preach  such  a  whole- 


548  FROM  JEST  TO  EARNEST. 

some,  sunny  Gospel  that  it  won  even  the  most  prej 
udiced. 

One  evening,  a  feeble,  aged  man  stepped  down 
from  the  train,  and  was  borne  off  in  triumph  by 
Hemstead  to  the  warmest  corner  of  his  hearth. 

Lottie  gave  him  such  a  welcome  that  the  old 
gentleman  cried  out : 

"  Hold  on.  My  goodness  gracious  !  haven't  you 
sobered  down  yet  ?  " 

Then,  with  Frank  standing  near,  with  his  hand 
upon  her  shoulder,  and  looking  down  as  proud  of 
her  as  a  man  could  be,  and  with  just  such  a  black- 
eyed  cherub  in  her  arms  as  she  must  have  been  her 
self  twenty  odd  years  before,  and  with  her  face 
aglow  with  health,  happiness,  and  content,  she 
asked : 

"Well,  uncle,  what  do  you  think  of  your  med 
dling  now?  " 

Mr.  Dimmerly  went  off  into  one  of  his  old-time 
chuckles,  as  he  said  : 

"  This  is  one  of  the  things  which  the  world  never 
can  '  stop.' " 

THE   END. 


PRESS  OF  LANGE,  LITTLE  it  Co. 


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